Wake up gay people. If you belong to or support in any way a church, you'd better make pretty darn sure they know without a doubt that you are a big ol' homo. Hold your partner's hand, always say "we" instead of "I", tell the pastor in no uncertain terms that you are gay. Otherwise, this may happen to you:
Church Cancels Memorial for Gay Vet
By ANGELA K. BROWN, AP
Posted: 2007-08-11 18:24:38
Filed Under: Nation News
ARLINGTON, Texas (Aug. 10) - A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay.
Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service, said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors, she said, it was called off.
"It's a slap in the face. It's like, 'Oh, we're sorry he died, but he's gay so we can't help you,"' she said Friday.
Wright said High Point offered to hold the service for Sinclair because their brother is a janitor there. Sinclair, who served in the first Gulf War, died Monday at age 46 from an infection after surgery to prepare him for a heart transplant.
The church's pastor, the Rev. Gary Simons, said no one knew Sinclair, who was not a church member, was gay until the day before the Thursday service, when staff members putting together his video tribute saw pictures of men "engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing."
Simons said the church believes homosexuality is a sin, and it would have appeared to endorse that lifestyle if the service had been held there. "We did decline to host the service - not based on hatred, not based on discrimination, but based on principle," Simons told The Associated Press. "Had we known it on the day they first spoke about it - yes, we would have declined then. It's not that we didn't love the family."
Simons said the decision had nothing to do with the obituary. He said the church offered to pay for another site for the service, made the video and provided food for more than 100 relatives and friends. "Even though we could not condone that lifestyle, we went above and beyond for the family through many acts of love and kindness," Simons said.
Wright called the church's claim about the pictures "a bold-faced lie." She said she provided numerous family pictures of Sinclair, including some with his partner, but said none showed men kissing or hugging.
The 5,000-member High Point Church was founded in 2000 by Simons and his wife, April, whose brother is Joel Osteen, well-known pastor of the 38,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston. Now High Point meets in a 432,000-square-foot facility in Arlington, near Dallas.
Wright said relatives declined the church's offer to hold the service at a community center because they felt it was an inappropriate venue. It ultimately was held at a funeral home, but the cancellation still lingered in some minds, she said.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Drag Queen name of the day: Anita Bath
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Cooking
I am not a 'bad' cook, but I would not call myself a 'good' cook either. I guess that would make me an adequate cook. I seem to have more success with baking than cooking.
Spouse is a very good cook. His grandparents immigrated from Italy and his parents were both born in America. They learned both Italian and American cooking. Spouse's father worked in a bakery as a teenager and Spouse learned how to make wonderful bread, pizza dough, and focaccia from his father.
Spouse learned how to make the best meatballs in the world from his aunt Rosie in Philadelphia. While the rest of the extended family was at church on Sun morning, Spouse would watch aunt Rosie make meatballs in her kitchen, smoking Camel straights, and listening to opera. He swears you can't duplicate the taste of aunt Rosie's meatballs without the cigarette smoke and opera music. Fortunately, everyone loves his meatballs just as much, even if they aren't an exact duplicate of aunt Rosie's.
It is unnecessary for us to discuss who will do what when we prepare to have people over for dinner. I know it is my job to clean the house and set the table, while Spouse knows he is responsible for cooking the meal.
But over the years as we've accumulated more and more kitchen gadgets and utensils, I've noticed Spouse seems to use more and more of them. Why does it take 3 pots, a skillet, 6 large spoons, 4 spatulas, a pair of tongs, 2 dinner plates, and a saucer to make spaghetti and meatballs? I'm sure I've made a 4-course meal with only half the paraphernalia.
And lord help him to use a spoon rest! He'd rather rest a stirring spoon on a folded paper towel or a saucer, for some odd reason. I'd suggested he use the spoon rest, which sits conveniently on the counter next to the stove. But he resists and says that a paper towel or saucer is fine.
Thank god for the dishwasher. I put everything except the pots and pans in the dishwasher, since they tend to come out spotty. Plus, they take up a lot of space, so I wash them by hand.
Drag Queen name of the day: Corey Ann Counters
Spouse is a very good cook. His grandparents immigrated from Italy and his parents were both born in America. They learned both Italian and American cooking. Spouse's father worked in a bakery as a teenager and Spouse learned how to make wonderful bread, pizza dough, and focaccia from his father.
Spouse learned how to make the best meatballs in the world from his aunt Rosie in Philadelphia. While the rest of the extended family was at church on Sun morning, Spouse would watch aunt Rosie make meatballs in her kitchen, smoking Camel straights, and listening to opera. He swears you can't duplicate the taste of aunt Rosie's meatballs without the cigarette smoke and opera music. Fortunately, everyone loves his meatballs just as much, even if they aren't an exact duplicate of aunt Rosie's.
It is unnecessary for us to discuss who will do what when we prepare to have people over for dinner. I know it is my job to clean the house and set the table, while Spouse knows he is responsible for cooking the meal.
But over the years as we've accumulated more and more kitchen gadgets and utensils, I've noticed Spouse seems to use more and more of them. Why does it take 3 pots, a skillet, 6 large spoons, 4 spatulas, a pair of tongs, 2 dinner plates, and a saucer to make spaghetti and meatballs? I'm sure I've made a 4-course meal with only half the paraphernalia.
And lord help him to use a spoon rest! He'd rather rest a stirring spoon on a folded paper towel or a saucer, for some odd reason. I'd suggested he use the spoon rest, which sits conveniently on the counter next to the stove. But he resists and says that a paper towel or saucer is fine.
Thank god for the dishwasher. I put everything except the pots and pans in the dishwasher, since they tend to come out spotty. Plus, they take up a lot of space, so I wash them by hand.
Drag Queen name of the day: Corey Ann Counters
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Tuesday Twist
Yesterday Spouse & I took off work so we could go with Spouse's brother and sister-in-law to Cape May and Wildwood NJ via the ferry.
The ferry system is pretty cool. You drive your vehicle right onto the ferry, and then you can sit in the lounge or on the upper decks as the ferry crosses the Delaware Bay. It takes about 75 minutes and is a beautiful trip. We saw schools of dolphins jumping out of the water.
The ferry docks in Cape May, a beautiful seaside village full of gorgeous Victorian homes, hotels, and bed & breakfasts. We drove around for a while, gawking at the stunning architecture and wondering how much money people have to make to be able to afford these places. Then we parked and strolled down a pedestrian mall of little art shops, boutiques, and the like.
Ironically, Wildwood is the closest seaside town to Cape May, but is the polar opposite of Cape May. All the original structures in Wildwood appear to have been built around the same time, in the late 50s or early 60s. There are fabulous Jetsons-looking motels and stunning examples of mid-century modern ranch homes. Nothing Victorian about that. But sadly, many of the cool motels are being torn down and replaced with tacky, fake-Mediterranean condos. What a shame! Wildwood has a very long boardwalk with the typical boardwalk offerings: t-shirt shops, souvenir shops, games, arcades, soft pretzels, ice cream, funnel cake, water ice, and amusement rides.
It was easily close to 100 degrees and extremely humid. It seemed we'd walk 20 feet, then duck into a t-shirt shop just for the air conditioning, then walk another 20 feet and duck into a funnel cake shop just for the air conditioning. We got ice cream cones at one of our duck-ins, and it was so hot outside that the ice cream immediately began to run down the side of the cone. I kept licking the cone so as not to drip. I think that's the fastest I've ever eaten an ice cream cone! Fortunately it was too hot outside to result in a brain freeze.
We took the ferry back to Lewes and were really happy that the air conditioning was working. The morning ferry's a/c was either not turned on or was broken. It was a really enjoyable day, but it would have been even better if it wasn't so stinkin' hot and humid.
After returning home, all 4 of us showered and then had dinner at Striper Bites in Lewes. Our food was deliciously served in the air conditioned restaurant - the perfect end to our day.
Drag Queen name of the day: Maya Buttreaks
The ferry system is pretty cool. You drive your vehicle right onto the ferry, and then you can sit in the lounge or on the upper decks as the ferry crosses the Delaware Bay. It takes about 75 minutes and is a beautiful trip. We saw schools of dolphins jumping out of the water.
The ferry docks in Cape May, a beautiful seaside village full of gorgeous Victorian homes, hotels, and bed & breakfasts. We drove around for a while, gawking at the stunning architecture and wondering how much money people have to make to be able to afford these places. Then we parked and strolled down a pedestrian mall of little art shops, boutiques, and the like.
Ironically, Wildwood is the closest seaside town to Cape May, but is the polar opposite of Cape May. All the original structures in Wildwood appear to have been built around the same time, in the late 50s or early 60s. There are fabulous Jetsons-looking motels and stunning examples of mid-century modern ranch homes. Nothing Victorian about that. But sadly, many of the cool motels are being torn down and replaced with tacky, fake-Mediterranean condos. What a shame! Wildwood has a very long boardwalk with the typical boardwalk offerings: t-shirt shops, souvenir shops, games, arcades, soft pretzels, ice cream, funnel cake, water ice, and amusement rides.
It was easily close to 100 degrees and extremely humid. It seemed we'd walk 20 feet, then duck into a t-shirt shop just for the air conditioning, then walk another 20 feet and duck into a funnel cake shop just for the air conditioning. We got ice cream cones at one of our duck-ins, and it was so hot outside that the ice cream immediately began to run down the side of the cone. I kept licking the cone so as not to drip. I think that's the fastest I've ever eaten an ice cream cone! Fortunately it was too hot outside to result in a brain freeze.
We took the ferry back to Lewes and were really happy that the air conditioning was working. The morning ferry's a/c was either not turned on or was broken. It was a really enjoyable day, but it would have been even better if it wasn't so stinkin' hot and humid.
After returning home, all 4 of us showered and then had dinner at Striper Bites in Lewes. Our food was deliciously served in the air conditioned restaurant - the perfect end to our day.
Drag Queen name of the day: Maya Buttreaks
Monday, August 06, 2007
Visitors
Our good friends Kerry & Hugh arrived on Thurs night. They stayed with us thru Sun evening, although they were actually in town to attend a large family reunion. On Fri they went to the beach all day, then the 4 of us had an early dinner together at Fish On. They met up with their relatives and Spouse & I met up with our friends at the Miltonian for our regular Fri night dinner. No, we didn't eat the second time!
On Sun afternoon Spouse's brother Louis and his wife Karen arrived. They'll be staying with us through Fri. Kerry & Hugh, Louis & Karen, and Spouse & I all enjoyed a delicious dinner together Sun night at La Rosa Negra before Kerry & Hugh headed back to VA.
Louis & Karen have lots of things planned for their vacation this week, including shopping at the outlet stores, time at the beach (of course), taking the ferry to Cape May and Wildwood NJ, exploring Lewes and Rehoboth, going to the movies, and hopefully relaxing.
Spouse & I were supposed to go with Rick & Nick to the Milton 200th anniversary parade on Sat afternoon, but it was so hot and humid I told Spouse I didn't want to go. I just couldn't see myself standing on that black asphalt in the 90-something degree heat with the 90-something percent humidity, sweating profusely and feeling disgusting. I mean, I like parades and all, but not enough to go through all that.
I wish the weather forecast for the week was better. Today it was hot, humid, and cloudy all day. It looked as if it was going to rain at any minute, but so far it hasn't. Tues & Wed its going to be in the mid-to-upper 90s and very humid. I hope Louis & Karen still have a good time.
On Fri after Louis & Karen leave, our friend Michael will arrive and stay with us for the weekend.
Drag Queen name of the day: Eula Gree
On Sun afternoon Spouse's brother Louis and his wife Karen arrived. They'll be staying with us through Fri. Kerry & Hugh, Louis & Karen, and Spouse & I all enjoyed a delicious dinner together Sun night at La Rosa Negra before Kerry & Hugh headed back to VA.
Louis & Karen have lots of things planned for their vacation this week, including shopping at the outlet stores, time at the beach (of course), taking the ferry to Cape May and Wildwood NJ, exploring Lewes and Rehoboth, going to the movies, and hopefully relaxing.
Spouse & I were supposed to go with Rick & Nick to the Milton 200th anniversary parade on Sat afternoon, but it was so hot and humid I told Spouse I didn't want to go. I just couldn't see myself standing on that black asphalt in the 90-something degree heat with the 90-something percent humidity, sweating profusely and feeling disgusting. I mean, I like parades and all, but not enough to go through all that.
I wish the weather forecast for the week was better. Today it was hot, humid, and cloudy all day. It looked as if it was going to rain at any minute, but so far it hasn't. Tues & Wed its going to be in the mid-to-upper 90s and very humid. I hope Louis & Karen still have a good time.
On Fri after Louis & Karen leave, our friend Michael will arrive and stay with us for the weekend.
Drag Queen name of the day: Eula Gree
Friday, August 03, 2007
Snow in Aug
They're cutting down all the shade, and its snowing in August!!!
No, this is not the result of a bad LSD trip.
About 2 weeks ago we had some fairly strong storms and one of the trees in the vacant lot adjacent to our house lost a pretty big limb. The limb appeared to be dead so it was no great surprise that the wind pulled it off. As the limb fell to the ground it snapped off a smaller but live limb, and both laid on the ground for a about 2 weeks.
A few days ago our neighbor who owns the vacant lot met with a guy from a tree service and I could see them talking and pointing up at some of the trees. I imagined they were discussing which ones had dead limbs that needed to be removed, and I privately applauded my neighbor for taking this action.
Although the vacant lot is rather small (30' wide by 100' deep) it had 14 tall, old trees. I estimate some of the trees were 60' feet tall. I enjoyed having the trees on the lot as it provided a natural visual buffer between our house and the neighbors. The tall trees also provided welcome shade to our house and back/side yard. But I knew that at least some of the limbs needed to be removed since they were dead. We certainly didn't want any limbs crashing down onto or into our house.
This morning the tree service returned with a 'cherry picker', a dump truck, a front-end loader, a tree mulcher, and a crew of about 6 men. This did not look like the crew you'd send to remove a few dead limbs. I started to get a little nervous and the machinery roared to life.
A guy with a chain saw hopped into the bucket of the 'cherry picker' and navigated around the tops of the trees, cutting off limbs one by one, which fell to the ground with a sound like a giant fly swatter hitting a wall. As each limb dropped, the other men hauled them over to the tree mulcher and shoved them inside. In just seconds each heavy limb was shredded and blown into the dump truck. I hoped they were going to stop after removing the tops of the trees and any dead limbs, but they didn't.
The loud noises of the chain saw, tree mulcher, and front-end loader continued the entire day. There was so much sawdust in the air that when I looked out the window on the opposite side of the house from where they were working, it looked as if it were snowing. Our yard, sidewalk, driveway, cars, porch, and roof were all coated in sawdust. When they quit working around 4:00 all that remained were 14 stumps. It made me sad.
Our neighbor who owns the lot stopped by to tell me that the tree service would be back on Mon to remove the stumps and clean up. He assured me that our yard would be cleaned of all that sawdust, and I thanked him for being so considerate, though I bet they'll just take a leaf blower and blow the sawdust from the yard into the street.
So, they cut down all the shade and made it snow in Aug.
Drag Queen name of the day: Mary Land
No, this is not the result of a bad LSD trip.
About 2 weeks ago we had some fairly strong storms and one of the trees in the vacant lot adjacent to our house lost a pretty big limb. The limb appeared to be dead so it was no great surprise that the wind pulled it off. As the limb fell to the ground it snapped off a smaller but live limb, and both laid on the ground for a about 2 weeks.
A few days ago our neighbor who owns the vacant lot met with a guy from a tree service and I could see them talking and pointing up at some of the trees. I imagined they were discussing which ones had dead limbs that needed to be removed, and I privately applauded my neighbor for taking this action.
Although the vacant lot is rather small (30' wide by 100' deep) it had 14 tall, old trees. I estimate some of the trees were 60' feet tall. I enjoyed having the trees on the lot as it provided a natural visual buffer between our house and the neighbors. The tall trees also provided welcome shade to our house and back/side yard. But I knew that at least some of the limbs needed to be removed since they were dead. We certainly didn't want any limbs crashing down onto or into our house.
This morning the tree service returned with a 'cherry picker', a dump truck, a front-end loader, a tree mulcher, and a crew of about 6 men. This did not look like the crew you'd send to remove a few dead limbs. I started to get a little nervous and the machinery roared to life.
A guy with a chain saw hopped into the bucket of the 'cherry picker' and navigated around the tops of the trees, cutting off limbs one by one, which fell to the ground with a sound like a giant fly swatter hitting a wall. As each limb dropped, the other men hauled them over to the tree mulcher and shoved them inside. In just seconds each heavy limb was shredded and blown into the dump truck. I hoped they were going to stop after removing the tops of the trees and any dead limbs, but they didn't.
The loud noises of the chain saw, tree mulcher, and front-end loader continued the entire day. There was so much sawdust in the air that when I looked out the window on the opposite side of the house from where they were working, it looked as if it were snowing. Our yard, sidewalk, driveway, cars, porch, and roof were all coated in sawdust. When they quit working around 4:00 all that remained were 14 stumps. It made me sad.
Our neighbor who owns the lot stopped by to tell me that the tree service would be back on Mon to remove the stumps and clean up. He assured me that our yard would be cleaned of all that sawdust, and I thanked him for being so considerate, though I bet they'll just take a leaf blower and blow the sawdust from the yard into the street.
So, they cut down all the shade and made it snow in Aug.
Drag Queen name of the day: Mary Land
Thursday, August 02, 2007
VA 'Family Values' Pastor Charged With Indecent Exposure
VA 'Family Values' Pastor Charged With Indecent Exposure
by The Associated Press
Posted: August 1, 2007 - 9:00 am ET (Johnson City, Tennessee)
The minister of a Baptist church has been charged with indecent exposure and driving under the influence, and police officers say he propositioned them.
Tommy Tester, 58, of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly urinating in front of children at a car wash, police said.
Police also said Tester offered to perform oral sex on officers who were sent to the scene.
Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian radio station WZAP-AM in Bristol.
There was no immediate response Tuesday to calls to the church and Tester's home.
WZAP issued a statement Monday asking for prayers and saying Tester had been suspended during an investigation.
"We pray this matter can be quickly resolved," WZAP owner Al Morris said in the statement.
Tester was released on $1,000 bail. A hearing is scheduled for Oct.
-------
Okay, call me overly-sensitive, but I'm thinking that when you're a Baptist pastor and you get nabbed for exposing yourself to kids and drunk driving while wearing a skirt, that's probably not the right time to offer the cop a blow job. I'm just sayin'...
What a hypocrite!
Drag Queen name of the day: Misty Meadows
by The Associated Press
Posted: August 1, 2007 - 9:00 am ET (Johnson City, Tennessee)
The minister of a Baptist church has been charged with indecent exposure and driving under the influence, and police officers say he propositioned them.
Tommy Tester, 58, of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly urinating in front of children at a car wash, police said.
Police also said Tester offered to perform oral sex on officers who were sent to the scene.
Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian radio station WZAP-AM in Bristol.
There was no immediate response Tuesday to calls to the church and Tester's home.
WZAP issued a statement Monday asking for prayers and saying Tester had been suspended during an investigation.
"We pray this matter can be quickly resolved," WZAP owner Al Morris said in the statement.
Tester was released on $1,000 bail. A hearing is scheduled for Oct.
-------
Okay, call me overly-sensitive, but I'm thinking that when you're a Baptist pastor and you get nabbed for exposing yourself to kids and drunk driving while wearing a skirt, that's probably not the right time to offer the cop a blow job. I'm just sayin'...
What a hypocrite!
Drag Queen name of the day: Misty Meadows
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Blog envy
I have blog envy. Its a condition for which no pill or treatment exists. Fortunately its not terminal and I plan to fight back.
I read other blogs that are truly entertaining. Some share personal feelings about current events and politics, while others find a way to make everyday occurrences sound hilarious. Then cut to my blog, which reads like a wordy teenager's diary. "After breakfast and showers, we went here, and then we went there..." I really want my blog to be more than that.
I think I can be kind of funny. I tell stories and jokes that cause most people to laugh. People seem to enjoy themselves while conversing with me, so why doesn't all that personality shine through in my blog?
Maybe I don't spend enough time on my posts. Maybe I need to starting making a list of interesting or funny things to write about.
I'm going to try and turn up the volume on this blog!
Drag Queen name of the day: Iona Trailer
I read other blogs that are truly entertaining. Some share personal feelings about current events and politics, while others find a way to make everyday occurrences sound hilarious. Then cut to my blog, which reads like a wordy teenager's diary. "After breakfast and showers, we went here, and then we went there..." I really want my blog to be more than that.
I think I can be kind of funny. I tell stories and jokes that cause most people to laugh. People seem to enjoy themselves while conversing with me, so why doesn't all that personality shine through in my blog?
Maybe I don't spend enough time on my posts. Maybe I need to starting making a list of interesting or funny things to write about.
I'm going to try and turn up the volume on this blog!
Drag Queen name of the day: Iona Trailer
Monday, July 30, 2007
Highlights
Doug & Jim aren't our only friends from DC spending a week's vacation here at the beach. On Thurs night we had dinner at Striper Bites with Michelle & Shannon. They were staying at Broadkill beach this week, about 15 minutes from Lewes, with Michelle's family. Gosh, it had been a long time since we'd seen them! But we had a lovely time talking, laughing, catching up, and trying to predict the future of our messed up country.
Earlier on Thurs I went to my new optometrist for my annual eye exam. "So, you ran out of contacts" my aunt teased me, knowing my reluctance to go to any doctors for routine or preventative measures. But my new eye doctor is close by and very nice. I hadn't realized the doctor was going to dilate my pupils, resulting in an inability to read for about 3 hours. Ooops, guess I'd better not schedule those kinds of appointments for 10:30 in the morning on a work day anymore. So I was forced into taking an extra long lunch hour, which included a 20 minute nap and some TV time, since I was unable to focus enough to read. But good news: my advancing age has caused my near-sightedness to improve a little.
On Fri evening Spouse & I went to the grocery store to pick up last minutes stuff for our weekend guests, then we met Rick & Nick and assorted other diners at the Miltonian restaurant for our regular Fri night dinner. We got home from the grocery store with just enough time to put away the groceries before leaving for dinner. I'd arranged for our weekend guests to call my cell phone when they'd crossed the Bay Bridge, but we finished dinner and were on our way home before my phone finally indicated that I had a voice mail message. Then I remembered that I don't get cell coverage in Milton! Our friends left 2 messages, and we got home less than 5 minutes before they arrived!
We've known Ron & James and Mike & Clark for about 10 years. We all used to go to the same church and began doing things socially shortly after meeting. They are great friends with whom we'll always stay in touch, regardless of where we live. We used to spend occasional weekends together at a guesthouse in Lost River, WV. Then in 2003 when we had our vintage 1955 mobile home in Lewes the 4 of them came with us to spend a weekend. It was so much fun we did it again in 2004. Then in 2005 and 2006 we shared a weekend together at our beach house, and now that we live in Lewes full time, we saw no reason not to continue the tradition of spending a weekend together.
When everyone arrived on Fri night we showed them around the house, got them settled in their rooms, and had cocktails and snacks while talking until 1am. After breakfast Sat morning we walked to the farmers market and milled around some of the stores in Lewes, had lunch at the Blue Plate Diner, then walked to the bay and had a frosty treat at Dairy Queen before walking back home. We watched "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" which we all found entertaining. Its the one-sided story of Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner. I found it ironic that it happened to be the next DVD in my queue, when she had died just a week before. That night we had dinner at Serendipity on the Indian River. After a leisurely breakfast Sun morning we headed out for a little tax-free shopping, then had lunch. It really wasn't 'beach weather', which was just as well since Ron & James and Mike & Clark aren't much for hanging out at the beach. We bid our friends goodbye at about 3pm, then relaxed for a while.
Sun afternoon we had a rather strong thunderstorm, complete with lightening and heavy rain. We'd been invited to a barbecue that afternoon but had decided not to go due to the weather. But around 4pm Rick & Nick called and talked us into going anyway, since the venue would have a tent and a 'studio' in case the rain kept up. So we met Rick & Nick and went to the barbecue and had a nice time. The band was really good. We got home around 7pm. Spouse was surfing the internet and I watched home improvement/decorating/design shows on TV the rest of the night. The storm ended, but the rain continued on and off the rest of the night.
Today it has been very humid, with intermittent rain showers, just the kind of weather to match a Monday where I can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm in slow motion all day.
Drag Queen name of the day: Angie O'Plasty
Earlier on Thurs I went to my new optometrist for my annual eye exam. "So, you ran out of contacts" my aunt teased me, knowing my reluctance to go to any doctors for routine or preventative measures. But my new eye doctor is close by and very nice. I hadn't realized the doctor was going to dilate my pupils, resulting in an inability to read for about 3 hours. Ooops, guess I'd better not schedule those kinds of appointments for 10:30 in the morning on a work day anymore. So I was forced into taking an extra long lunch hour, which included a 20 minute nap and some TV time, since I was unable to focus enough to read. But good news: my advancing age has caused my near-sightedness to improve a little.
On Fri evening Spouse & I went to the grocery store to pick up last minutes stuff for our weekend guests, then we met Rick & Nick and assorted other diners at the Miltonian restaurant for our regular Fri night dinner. We got home from the grocery store with just enough time to put away the groceries before leaving for dinner. I'd arranged for our weekend guests to call my cell phone when they'd crossed the Bay Bridge, but we finished dinner and were on our way home before my phone finally indicated that I had a voice mail message. Then I remembered that I don't get cell coverage in Milton! Our friends left 2 messages, and we got home less than 5 minutes before they arrived!
We've known Ron & James and Mike & Clark for about 10 years. We all used to go to the same church and began doing things socially shortly after meeting. They are great friends with whom we'll always stay in touch, regardless of where we live. We used to spend occasional weekends together at a guesthouse in Lost River, WV. Then in 2003 when we had our vintage 1955 mobile home in Lewes the 4 of them came with us to spend a weekend. It was so much fun we did it again in 2004. Then in 2005 and 2006 we shared a weekend together at our beach house, and now that we live in Lewes full time, we saw no reason not to continue the tradition of spending a weekend together.
When everyone arrived on Fri night we showed them around the house, got them settled in their rooms, and had cocktails and snacks while talking until 1am. After breakfast Sat morning we walked to the farmers market and milled around some of the stores in Lewes, had lunch at the Blue Plate Diner, then walked to the bay and had a frosty treat at Dairy Queen before walking back home. We watched "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" which we all found entertaining. Its the one-sided story of Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner. I found it ironic that it happened to be the next DVD in my queue, when she had died just a week before. That night we had dinner at Serendipity on the Indian River. After a leisurely breakfast Sun morning we headed out for a little tax-free shopping, then had lunch. It really wasn't 'beach weather', which was just as well since Ron & James and Mike & Clark aren't much for hanging out at the beach. We bid our friends goodbye at about 3pm, then relaxed for a while.
Sun afternoon we had a rather strong thunderstorm, complete with lightening and heavy rain. We'd been invited to a barbecue that afternoon but had decided not to go due to the weather. But around 4pm Rick & Nick called and talked us into going anyway, since the venue would have a tent and a 'studio' in case the rain kept up. So we met Rick & Nick and went to the barbecue and had a nice time. The band was really good. We got home around 7pm. Spouse was surfing the internet and I watched home improvement/decorating/design shows on TV the rest of the night. The storm ended, but the rain continued on and off the rest of the night.
Today it has been very humid, with intermittent rain showers, just the kind of weather to match a Monday where I can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm in slow motion all day.
Drag Queen name of the day: Angie O'Plasty
Thursday, July 26, 2007
When a plan comes together
I love it when a plan comes together.
Back in May we made plans with our friends Paul & Steve to take a day trip back to DC to eat good Thai food and see a show. There's no Thai restaurants near us, to say nothing about 'good' Thai restaurants, and since Spouse & I had been missing our fave in Arlington, it seemed like a great idea. We checked the Wolf Trap calendar and bought tickets to see Natalie Cole.
I was slightly apprehensive about Wolf Trap (ie: outdoor venue) in mid-late July. The last 2 years in a row Spouse & I have gone to Wolf Trap in July when it was very hot and extremely humid. We were so uncomfortable that it really took away from the enjoyment of the show. But since there weren't any acts I'd like to see as much as Natalie Cole, I decided to go with it.
We arrived at Paul & Steve's on time, which is amazing in and of itself, then headed west. The traffic was quite good all the way into DC on New York Ave. Spouse & I were pretty amazed. We did get stuck in a little traffic on 395 S, but when the lanes peeled away at a fork in the highway, so did the congested traffic. We slipped right down the road with ease.
The next obstacle I anticipated was parking at the restaurant. The Thai Square is in a little strip center on Columbia Pike and has no parking lot; just street parking. Many times in the past the parking has been very limited, forcing us to circle the block several times or look for street parking in the adjacent crowded residential area. But yesterday we pulled right into a metered parking space right in front of the restaurant! 'TV parking', as we call it. I looked in the coin drawer of the CRV and grabbed several quarters for the meter. We had a fantastic dinner and Paul & Steve really enjoyed their food a lot. I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed this gem of a restaurant.
We left the restaurant a few minutes later than planned, but I wasn't worried since we'd built in some extra time into our schedule. Since we were so close, we drove them by our 1st house and recounted some of the 'stories' of having purchased the foreclosed home, still full of other people's stuff. Then we drove them by the last house we lived in (which we still own) on the way to Wolf Trap. Rather than take a chance on Rt 66 and the Dulles Toll Road being congested (almost a certainty) we took the back roads through McLean, which is far more scenic anyway, and made it to Wolf Trap with lots of time to spare.
The temperature had cooled a bit and there was a charming breeze as we walked from the parking lot to the entrance. The humidity was still low and we were very comfortable. I was happy but amazed. The concert was really good and we all enjoyed it very much.
As we walked back to the car I was mentally preparing myself for a 15-20 minute wait just to exit the parking lot. This had been our experience the last 2 times we'd been to Wolf Trap. But miraculously, most of the traffic appeared to be waiting to exit to the right and we needed to exit to the left, so we slipped right out of the parking lot in under 5 minutes.
The drive back to DE was easy and uneventful, although we enjoyed good conversations the entire way. Everything just seemed to come together perfectly for us, and I'm still having trouble believing its all true.
I love it when a plan comes together!
Drag Queen name of the day: Carla I. Dee
Back in May we made plans with our friends Paul & Steve to take a day trip back to DC to eat good Thai food and see a show. There's no Thai restaurants near us, to say nothing about 'good' Thai restaurants, and since Spouse & I had been missing our fave in Arlington, it seemed like a great idea. We checked the Wolf Trap calendar and bought tickets to see Natalie Cole.
I was slightly apprehensive about Wolf Trap (ie: outdoor venue) in mid-late July. The last 2 years in a row Spouse & I have gone to Wolf Trap in July when it was very hot and extremely humid. We were so uncomfortable that it really took away from the enjoyment of the show. But since there weren't any acts I'd like to see as much as Natalie Cole, I decided to go with it.
We arrived at Paul & Steve's on time, which is amazing in and of itself, then headed west. The traffic was quite good all the way into DC on New York Ave. Spouse & I were pretty amazed. We did get stuck in a little traffic on 395 S, but when the lanes peeled away at a fork in the highway, so did the congested traffic. We slipped right down the road with ease.
The next obstacle I anticipated was parking at the restaurant. The Thai Square is in a little strip center on Columbia Pike and has no parking lot; just street parking. Many times in the past the parking has been very limited, forcing us to circle the block several times or look for street parking in the adjacent crowded residential area. But yesterday we pulled right into a metered parking space right in front of the restaurant! 'TV parking', as we call it. I looked in the coin drawer of the CRV and grabbed several quarters for the meter. We had a fantastic dinner and Paul & Steve really enjoyed their food a lot. I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed this gem of a restaurant.
We left the restaurant a few minutes later than planned, but I wasn't worried since we'd built in some extra time into our schedule. Since we were so close, we drove them by our 1st house and recounted some of the 'stories' of having purchased the foreclosed home, still full of other people's stuff. Then we drove them by the last house we lived in (which we still own) on the way to Wolf Trap. Rather than take a chance on Rt 66 and the Dulles Toll Road being congested (almost a certainty) we took the back roads through McLean, which is far more scenic anyway, and made it to Wolf Trap with lots of time to spare.
The temperature had cooled a bit and there was a charming breeze as we walked from the parking lot to the entrance. The humidity was still low and we were very comfortable. I was happy but amazed. The concert was really good and we all enjoyed it very much.
As we walked back to the car I was mentally preparing myself for a 15-20 minute wait just to exit the parking lot. This had been our experience the last 2 times we'd been to Wolf Trap. But miraculously, most of the traffic appeared to be waiting to exit to the right and we needed to exit to the left, so we slipped right out of the parking lot in under 5 minutes.
The drive back to DE was easy and uneventful, although we enjoyed good conversations the entire way. Everything just seemed to come together perfectly for us, and I'm still having trouble believing its all true.
I love it when a plan comes together!
Drag Queen name of the day: Carla I. Dee
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Amazing!
We have been experiencing the most AMAZING weather! Its hard to believe its mid-late July. On Fri it was in the upper 70s, sunny, and very low humidity. We turned the a/c off and opened the windows.
The floral arrangement I'd designed and ordered was delivered to Spouse's office and he really like it. Fri evening we met Rick & Nick (and a few other friends) for dinner. Instead of my original plan for birthday candles in individual desserts for Spouse's birthday, Rick & Nick offered to pick up a cake and secretly brought it into the restaurant when he wasn't looking. I brought glitter-y candles, which I secretly slipped to Rick under the table. When we'd finished our meal, all of the wait staff came out singing 'Happy Birthday' and placed the cake in front of Spouse. It wasn't too much of being the center of attention, which he doesn't like.
Sat morning we made our weekly pilgrimage to the Lewes farmers market, then had bagels and coffee for breakfast on the screened porch. Jordan and Pouncer enjoyed being on the screened porch with me while I read a magazine. In the afternoon Spouse & I went to the beach. It was magnificent! Then we showered, had a quick dinner at home, and headed into Rehoboth for the Follies.
Our original plan was to have dinner out and then go see 'Hairspray', but Rick & Nick gave us their complimentary tickets to the Follies since they were unable to go. The Follies is a fundraiser where local groups of friends or business associates put on skits and are judged. We attended 2 years ago and it was pretty amusing, but this year's was really bad. You'd think with a bunch of gay men involved, the singing would be great, the costumes would be fabulous and the production would be tight - but no. We decided to leave during the intermission.
It was such a gorgeous night that we walked down to the boardwalk, ran into some neighbors, and then walked back to the car. What a dreamy night for a ride with the top down. We watched a Netflix DVD when we got home, and went to bed at 1:00 am. It was great to feel the breeze from the open windows while we slept.
Sun morning we slept until 11:00 am! After a quick breakfast we began cleaning the house, then we met Rick & Nick at the beach for another magnificent day. Sun night we met up with Doug & Jim, our friends from VA who were vacationing in Rehoboth this week, for drinks at Aqua and dinner at Fusion. As usual, the downtown Rehoboth restaurant was much like the others we've tried: very expensive and mediocre food. But we had a nice time with our friends. On Tues we're going to pick them up in the convertible and ride out to Oak Orchard to eat at Serendipity, which backs to the Indian River. What a gorgeous view! And unlike all those downtown Rehoboth restaurants, Serendipity has delicious food at reasonable prices.
Drag Queen name of the day: Callie Fornia
The floral arrangement I'd designed and ordered was delivered to Spouse's office and he really like it. Fri evening we met Rick & Nick (and a few other friends) for dinner. Instead of my original plan for birthday candles in individual desserts for Spouse's birthday, Rick & Nick offered to pick up a cake and secretly brought it into the restaurant when he wasn't looking. I brought glitter-y candles, which I secretly slipped to Rick under the table. When we'd finished our meal, all of the wait staff came out singing 'Happy Birthday' and placed the cake in front of Spouse. It wasn't too much of being the center of attention, which he doesn't like.
Sat morning we made our weekly pilgrimage to the Lewes farmers market, then had bagels and coffee for breakfast on the screened porch. Jordan and Pouncer enjoyed being on the screened porch with me while I read a magazine. In the afternoon Spouse & I went to the beach. It was magnificent! Then we showered, had a quick dinner at home, and headed into Rehoboth for the Follies.
Our original plan was to have dinner out and then go see 'Hairspray', but Rick & Nick gave us their complimentary tickets to the Follies since they were unable to go. The Follies is a fundraiser where local groups of friends or business associates put on skits and are judged. We attended 2 years ago and it was pretty amusing, but this year's was really bad. You'd think with a bunch of gay men involved, the singing would be great, the costumes would be fabulous and the production would be tight - but no. We decided to leave during the intermission.
It was such a gorgeous night that we walked down to the boardwalk, ran into some neighbors, and then walked back to the car. What a dreamy night for a ride with the top down. We watched a Netflix DVD when we got home, and went to bed at 1:00 am. It was great to feel the breeze from the open windows while we slept.
Sun morning we slept until 11:00 am! After a quick breakfast we began cleaning the house, then we met Rick & Nick at the beach for another magnificent day. Sun night we met up with Doug & Jim, our friends from VA who were vacationing in Rehoboth this week, for drinks at Aqua and dinner at Fusion. As usual, the downtown Rehoboth restaurant was much like the others we've tried: very expensive and mediocre food. But we had a nice time with our friends. On Tues we're going to pick them up in the convertible and ride out to Oak Orchard to eat at Serendipity, which backs to the Indian River. What a gorgeous view! And unlike all those downtown Rehoboth restaurants, Serendipity has delicious food at reasonable prices.
Drag Queen name of the day: Callie Fornia
Friday, July 20, 2007
Birthday
Today is Spouse's birthday.
A few weeks ago I offered to host a birthday party for him, but he said he'd rather not. He hates being the center of attention. So instead, I'm doing some other nice things in honor of his special day.
Since he loves flowers I ordered an arrangement to be sent to his office today. I think having the flowers arrive at his office makes them even more extra special. Plus, it shows his straight colleagues that straights are not the only ones who get floral deliveries for their birthdays. He'll be sitting there in his office, doing some sort of work, when all the sudden the delivery person shows up at his office door with the arrangement. Surprise! Even though he knows its his birthday, the unexpected distraction from his work to accept the floral delivery will likely be a bit of a surprise.
Tonight we're meeting Rick & Nick (and likely some other friends) for dinner at the Miltonian. I thought about having a birthday cake at dinner, but couldn't figure out a way to get the cake to the restaurant without Joe seeing it. So instead I've opted to bring a box of birthday candles in my pocket. Toward the end of the meal, I'll excuse myself to go to the restroom but instead I'll give the box of candles to the waitress and ask her to bring 3 or 4 desserts to our table with the lit candles in them.
The plan for tomorrow night is for us to have dinner out somewhere and then go to the movies and see "Hairspray". We both love John Waters' original movie and have watched it several times on TV. For Spouse's birthday 3 years ago we went on a cruise to Canada which left out of NYC. We stayed in NYC an extra day and went to see "Hairspray" the musical on Broadway. It was great! So the opening of "Hairspray" the movie/musical tonight is great, and going to see it tomorrow will be a part of the extended birthday celebration.
Drag Queen name of the day: Norma Lee
A few weeks ago I offered to host a birthday party for him, but he said he'd rather not. He hates being the center of attention. So instead, I'm doing some other nice things in honor of his special day.
Since he loves flowers I ordered an arrangement to be sent to his office today. I think having the flowers arrive at his office makes them even more extra special. Plus, it shows his straight colleagues that straights are not the only ones who get floral deliveries for their birthdays. He'll be sitting there in his office, doing some sort of work, when all the sudden the delivery person shows up at his office door with the arrangement. Surprise! Even though he knows its his birthday, the unexpected distraction from his work to accept the floral delivery will likely be a bit of a surprise.
Tonight we're meeting Rick & Nick (and likely some other friends) for dinner at the Miltonian. I thought about having a birthday cake at dinner, but couldn't figure out a way to get the cake to the restaurant without Joe seeing it. So instead I've opted to bring a box of birthday candles in my pocket. Toward the end of the meal, I'll excuse myself to go to the restroom but instead I'll give the box of candles to the waitress and ask her to bring 3 or 4 desserts to our table with the lit candles in them.
The plan for tomorrow night is for us to have dinner out somewhere and then go to the movies and see "Hairspray". We both love John Waters' original movie and have watched it several times on TV. For Spouse's birthday 3 years ago we went on a cruise to Canada which left out of NYC. We stayed in NYC an extra day and went to see "Hairspray" the musical on Broadway. It was great! So the opening of "Hairspray" the movie/musical tonight is great, and going to see it tomorrow will be a part of the extended birthday celebration.
Drag Queen name of the day: Norma Lee
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Success!
I took my convertible to the dealership this morning to have the console switch replaced that raises and lowers the roof. They did it, and I was able to drive home with the roof down! Success!!!
It took a while to get my beloved car back in shape, starting with the passenger door, then the plastic window in the roof, and now the roof switch - life is a little slower here than in DC - but it is certainly worth it. I love my car.
Drag Queen name of the day: Holly Daze
It took a while to get my beloved car back in shape, starting with the passenger door, then the plastic window in the roof, and now the roof switch - life is a little slower here than in DC - but it is certainly worth it. I love my car.
Drag Queen name of the day: Holly Daze
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Spells
Sat morning as I was talking to Mother-in-law and drinking coffee at the kitchen table I felt the onset of a 'vertigo-like' spell. I excused myself and went to the bedroom and laid on the bed. That's pretty much where I spent the rest of the day, with the exception of a few trips to the bathroom to puke.
The 'vertigo-like' spells don't happen very often (thank god) and over the years they've gotten less severe. The one this past Sat was not that bad. Its just a little worrisome because I never know when one is going to happen, nor do I have any idea what causes them.
The first one happened in 1984 (I think) while I was on a cruise with several friends. I happened to be alone at the time, when all of the sudden I felt flushed, dizzy, and nauseous. Thinking I might hurl at any minute, I went into the closest restroom, which happened to be near a lounge. With perspiration pouring off me, I sat on the bathroom floor with my head over the toilet and puked until my stomach was empty, and then I puked some more. I figured I must be sea sick. Then I noticed a tingling sensation in my hands and feet. Still hot, dizzy, and nauseous I continued to sit on the bathroom floor, waiting for it all to subside. Instead, the tingling sensation spread up my arms and legs. I realized I was unable to stand up. It was as if my legs and arms were paralyzed. The next time someone came into the bathroom I asked them (from my stall) to get some help. I was taken to the 'sick bay' where a doctor asked me 100 times if I'd been drinking. He placed a pill on my tongue and had me take a sip of water to wash it down. I repeated to him that I'd been throwing up, but he said the pill should help. Less than a minute later I threw up the pill and water. The tingling spread throughout my entire body and I had difficulty breathing so they put an oxygen mask on me to make breathing easier. Still, the sweating, dizziness, and nausea continued... for 30 hours. When my symptoms finally began to subside the oxygen was stopped and I was moved back to my room, and my friends took turns checking in on me every hour. Eventually all the symptoms were gone.
The next time I recall having a spell was in 1992. I was eating a late dinner with friends at Denny's when all the sudden I was struck by that heat flash, dizziness, and nausea. My balance was so bad off that I thought I was falling to the right, so I tried to compensate by leaning to the left, which resulted in me falling out of the banquet and onto the floor. I told my friends I was going to be sick and to help me to the bathroom. They did, and I puked like crazy until my stomach was empty, and then I had dry heaves for a while. Again, the tingling and numbness started to make my limbs useless to me. I got my friends to carry me to the car, drive me home, and put me to bed. One of my friends stayed overnight, just in case. The next day I was back to normal.
The third time was in 1994. The alarm had gone off and I was getting out of bed when all of the sudden I felt the flush, dizziness, and nausea. Again, I puked in the bathroom, but did not have much of the tingling sensation this time; I never lost the ability to walk or move my hands and arms. This was much less severe than the first 2 times. I stayed in bed all day and by dinner time I was able to eat and keep down a little soup and crackers. The next day it was if nothing had happened.
The fourth time was in 1995. I was on vacation at the Outer Banks of NC, lying on the sofa watching a movie one night when the symptoms started. This was much like the third time. After puking I went to bed, and the next day I was fine.
This last time was similar to the 3rd and 4th time. I'm basically wrecked for the day, but feel completely fine the next day.
After the 1994 spell I went to the doctor and described what had happened. The doctor didn't seem to match my symptoms to any known illness or condition but said he'd take a blood sample and see if any levels came up abnormal. He later reported that all levels were normal, and suggested I come back the next time a spell occurs so I could be checked then. This is rather impractical since there's not much chance I'd be anywhere near the doctor's office the next time it happened.
In 2005 I had my first routine physical in many years, and took the opportunity to tell my new doctor about the spells. I was really surprised that she didn't seem to think much of them. It seemed as if I were reporting some 'inconvenience' rather than a possible treatable medical condition. Every friend or family member I've told about the spells has been much more concerned than either of my doctors. One friend suggested vertigo so I'm going to research that. But I'm also going to make an appointment with a new doctor, here in DE, and discuss it with him/her.
Drag Queen name of the day: Phyllis Inn
The 'vertigo-like' spells don't happen very often (thank god) and over the years they've gotten less severe. The one this past Sat was not that bad. Its just a little worrisome because I never know when one is going to happen, nor do I have any idea what causes them.
The first one happened in 1984 (I think) while I was on a cruise with several friends. I happened to be alone at the time, when all of the sudden I felt flushed, dizzy, and nauseous. Thinking I might hurl at any minute, I went into the closest restroom, which happened to be near a lounge. With perspiration pouring off me, I sat on the bathroom floor with my head over the toilet and puked until my stomach was empty, and then I puked some more. I figured I must be sea sick. Then I noticed a tingling sensation in my hands and feet. Still hot, dizzy, and nauseous I continued to sit on the bathroom floor, waiting for it all to subside. Instead, the tingling sensation spread up my arms and legs. I realized I was unable to stand up. It was as if my legs and arms were paralyzed. The next time someone came into the bathroom I asked them (from my stall) to get some help. I was taken to the 'sick bay' where a doctor asked me 100 times if I'd been drinking. He placed a pill on my tongue and had me take a sip of water to wash it down. I repeated to him that I'd been throwing up, but he said the pill should help. Less than a minute later I threw up the pill and water. The tingling spread throughout my entire body and I had difficulty breathing so they put an oxygen mask on me to make breathing easier. Still, the sweating, dizziness, and nausea continued... for 30 hours. When my symptoms finally began to subside the oxygen was stopped and I was moved back to my room, and my friends took turns checking in on me every hour. Eventually all the symptoms were gone.
The next time I recall having a spell was in 1992. I was eating a late dinner with friends at Denny's when all the sudden I was struck by that heat flash, dizziness, and nausea. My balance was so bad off that I thought I was falling to the right, so I tried to compensate by leaning to the left, which resulted in me falling out of the banquet and onto the floor. I told my friends I was going to be sick and to help me to the bathroom. They did, and I puked like crazy until my stomach was empty, and then I had dry heaves for a while. Again, the tingling and numbness started to make my limbs useless to me. I got my friends to carry me to the car, drive me home, and put me to bed. One of my friends stayed overnight, just in case. The next day I was back to normal.
The third time was in 1994. The alarm had gone off and I was getting out of bed when all of the sudden I felt the flush, dizziness, and nausea. Again, I puked in the bathroom, but did not have much of the tingling sensation this time; I never lost the ability to walk or move my hands and arms. This was much less severe than the first 2 times. I stayed in bed all day and by dinner time I was able to eat and keep down a little soup and crackers. The next day it was if nothing had happened.
The fourth time was in 1995. I was on vacation at the Outer Banks of NC, lying on the sofa watching a movie one night when the symptoms started. This was much like the third time. After puking I went to bed, and the next day I was fine.
This last time was similar to the 3rd and 4th time. I'm basically wrecked for the day, but feel completely fine the next day.
After the 1994 spell I went to the doctor and described what had happened. The doctor didn't seem to match my symptoms to any known illness or condition but said he'd take a blood sample and see if any levels came up abnormal. He later reported that all levels were normal, and suggested I come back the next time a spell occurs so I could be checked then. This is rather impractical since there's not much chance I'd be anywhere near the doctor's office the next time it happened.
In 2005 I had my first routine physical in many years, and took the opportunity to tell my new doctor about the spells. I was really surprised that she didn't seem to think much of them. It seemed as if I were reporting some 'inconvenience' rather than a possible treatable medical condition. Every friend or family member I've told about the spells has been much more concerned than either of my doctors. One friend suggested vertigo so I'm going to research that. But I'm also going to make an appointment with a new doctor, here in DE, and discuss it with him/her.
Drag Queen name of the day: Phyllis Inn
Friday, July 13, 2007
Auto update
Yesterday I took my BMW convertible to the BMW dealer so they could diagnose the trouble with the roof operation. This was the 3rd place to which I've taken it. Fortunately it was a productive visit.
The service advisor was this nice young man named Brian who reminded me SO MUCH of my friend Michael of the Newlyweds. He had the same body shape, haircut, manner of speaking, and even wears glasses like Michael. I explained the symptoms I'd been having as well as the other 2 attempts to have it diagnosed and fixed. I also told him I'd like an estimate for replacing the plastic window in the roof. I told him that since the dealership is 30 minutes from Lewes and I had no way to get back home, I would wait for the estimates. He said he should be able to get back to me in about an hour.
I strolled around outside, looking at the 'pre-owned' cars (nobody says 'used' cars anymore) on the lot, since Spouse & I have been hoping to trade in our Civic and Suburban. But everything they had was very recent and out of our price range, so I returned to the customer waiting area and started reading the book I'd brought.
A little over an hour later, Brian advised me that the trouble with the roof operation was the switch in the console. I'd suspected the switch and the 1st place I'd taken the car to had begun to replace it but told me that wasn't the problem. But I believed Brian, since his place had the technology to troubleshoot with accuracy. The good news was that the switch, labor, and fee to diagnose was only about $100. The bad news was that they didn't have the switch in stock, so they would have to order it and I'll have to bring the car back next Thurs.
Brian then told me the price to replace the plastic window and said that they had one in stock. I asked if they could go ahead and install it, since I was already there, and he said yes. He said it could take as much as 3 hours, but I suspected it would take less because I'd already gotten an estimate for this from another place and they said it would take just over an hour. Apparently that other shop was really familiar with how to do it, because it took the BMW place the full 3 hours. Fortunately I'd brought that book or I'd have been bored to tears. So Thurs I drove home with my new, crystal clear back plastic window. The original lasted for almost 12 years.
When Spouse came home he tossed some ingredients into the electric pressure cooker and we slipped down to Rehoboth to look at the new 'pre-owned' cars that had just arrived at his buddy Mark's car lot. A sliver 2001 Mercedes ML 320 and a silver 2004 Honda CRV caught our eyes.
Fri morning Joe called Mark and made an appointment to meet him at the lot at 1:00, while I got in touch with the credit union to see about a low interest car loan.
We met Mark at the lot and test drove both SUVs. We liked them both, but after not much deliberation we made a decision to buy the 2004 Honda CRV. It was a quick and painless transaction. Mark took both of our trades and put cardboard temporary plates on the CRV while we collected our personal stuff our of the Civic and Suburban, then we drove it home.
We ate dinner, packed a bag and tossed it and the dog into the CRV and headed back to DC for the weekend. We laughed out loud when we recalled buying the Suburban 4 years ago, on a Fri evening, and then immediately driving it to Lewes for the weekend.
Here's our new 'pre-owned' car:
Drag Queen name of the day: Anna Versary
The service advisor was this nice young man named Brian who reminded me SO MUCH of my friend Michael of the Newlyweds. He had the same body shape, haircut, manner of speaking, and even wears glasses like Michael. I explained the symptoms I'd been having as well as the other 2 attempts to have it diagnosed and fixed. I also told him I'd like an estimate for replacing the plastic window in the roof. I told him that since the dealership is 30 minutes from Lewes and I had no way to get back home, I would wait for the estimates. He said he should be able to get back to me in about an hour.
I strolled around outside, looking at the 'pre-owned' cars (nobody says 'used' cars anymore) on the lot, since Spouse & I have been hoping to trade in our Civic and Suburban. But everything they had was very recent and out of our price range, so I returned to the customer waiting area and started reading the book I'd brought.
A little over an hour later, Brian advised me that the trouble with the roof operation was the switch in the console. I'd suspected the switch and the 1st place I'd taken the car to had begun to replace it but told me that wasn't the problem. But I believed Brian, since his place had the technology to troubleshoot with accuracy. The good news was that the switch, labor, and fee to diagnose was only about $100. The bad news was that they didn't have the switch in stock, so they would have to order it and I'll have to bring the car back next Thurs.
Brian then told me the price to replace the plastic window and said that they had one in stock. I asked if they could go ahead and install it, since I was already there, and he said yes. He said it could take as much as 3 hours, but I suspected it would take less because I'd already gotten an estimate for this from another place and they said it would take just over an hour. Apparently that other shop was really familiar with how to do it, because it took the BMW place the full 3 hours. Fortunately I'd brought that book or I'd have been bored to tears. So Thurs I drove home with my new, crystal clear back plastic window. The original lasted for almost 12 years.
When Spouse came home he tossed some ingredients into the electric pressure cooker and we slipped down to Rehoboth to look at the new 'pre-owned' cars that had just arrived at his buddy Mark's car lot. A sliver 2001 Mercedes ML 320 and a silver 2004 Honda CRV caught our eyes.
Fri morning Joe called Mark and made an appointment to meet him at the lot at 1:00, while I got in touch with the credit union to see about a low interest car loan.
We met Mark at the lot and test drove both SUVs. We liked them both, but after not much deliberation we made a decision to buy the 2004 Honda CRV. It was a quick and painless transaction. Mark took both of our trades and put cardboard temporary plates on the CRV while we collected our personal stuff our of the Civic and Suburban, then we drove it home.
We ate dinner, packed a bag and tossed it and the dog into the CRV and headed back to DC for the weekend. We laughed out loud when we recalled buying the Suburban 4 years ago, on a Fri evening, and then immediately driving it to Lewes for the weekend.
Here's our new 'pre-owned' car:
Drag Queen name of the day: Anna Versary
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Bits 'n pieces
Here are some bits 'n pieces for a Wed:
- A friend sent me an email with a link in it to an article about an Indian prince whose come out of the closet. Apparently he is the first and only Indian royalty to admit to being gay.
- Another friend sent me an article about a young boy with HIV who was banned from swimming in a public pool. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. It is said that people contract HIV from unprotected sex, blood transfusions, and intravenous drug use. But if the little boy has a cut or scrape and some of his blood gets into the pool, would YOU want to swim there?
- Last night Spouse & I had dinner with new friends Bill & Dean where the conversation turned to families and religion. Dean made a comment about how 'religion sees no grey area; everything is either black or white', and I really identified with that. Surely the religion I grew up with (and the religion my family still abides by) teaches this, despite all the many 'colors' of humanity.
- I was helping one of my colleagues with a client and learned that one of the contacts at the clients is named Sweety. This tickled me.
- Tomorrow morning I'm taking my convertible to the BMW dealership to have the roof operation problem diagnosed. Wish me luck and low estimate.
Drag Queen name of the day: Barbra Shoppe
Monday, July 09, 2007
An old friend visits
My old friend Kathryn came for a visit. She and her cousin Tim arrived around 4pm on Fri, just as I was winding the cord back up on the vacuum cleaner.
I met Kathryn nearly 20 years ago where we both worked. For some reason, we became fast friends. I say "for some reason" because demographically speaking we don't appear to have much in common. I'm a white gay man and she is a black hetero woman. But we were born just 10 days apart and were raised by parents with similar child-rearing beliefs. We appreciate each others' sense of humor and seem to have a sort of intuition, like twins. I've even referred to her as my "twin sister from different parents".
I met Kathryn nearly 20 years ago where we both worked. For some reason, we became fast friends. I say "for some reason" because demographically speaking we don't appear to have much in common. I'm a white gay man and she is a black hetero woman. But we were born just 10 days apart and were raised by parents with similar child-rearing beliefs. We appreciate each others' sense of humor and seem to have a sort of intuition, like twins. I've even referred to her as my "twin sister from different parents".
After I showed them around the house (it was their 1st time here) and they put their things in their rooms, Spouse came home and the 4 of us sat and talked for a few hours. Then we joined Rick & Nick and a few others for dinner at the Miltonian Pizzeria and Wing House.
Sat morning we talked over coffee, then walked to the Lewes farmers market, then strolled threw the arts and crafts show. We returned to the house for brunch, talked some more, and then we went for a little drive around Lewes before stopping at the Timberland outlet on our way to Rehoboth where we met up with Rick & Nick again.
Rick & Nick were standing in line in a bookstore to get their photo taken and their book signed by Tim Gunn from Project Runway. Next we got an ice cream cone and watched people on the boardwalk. When we returned home we talked some more, took Jordan for a walk around the pond, then listened to some music before Kathryn and Tim packed their bags. They left at 9:00.
We had a great time, and Kathryn promised to come again when she can stay the entire weekend.
On Sun Spouse & I met Rick & Nick at the beach. It was kind of hot that day, but its always cooler and more breezy at the beach so it was just perfect.
It was another lovely weekend... livin' our dream.
Drag Queen name of the day: Brandy Alexander
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Fantastic 4th
Yesterday has to be the best 4th of July I can remember.
First off, the weather was fantastic. The forecast originally called for showers, but it never even sprinkled. In the early morning it was overcast and more humid than the day before. But as the day went on the humidity seemed to go away and we had several periods of sunshine. The temperature was mild and it was fairly breezy, which I love.
Spouse made biscuits for breakfast so we ate them with our coffee on the screened porch. It was delightful, and the dog and cat really like being on the porch with us. Then I decided to vacuum all 3 vehicles. Since we are hoping to trade 2 of them in, I figured it would be good to clean them up now so it would already be done when our buddy lets us know he's found a suitable car for us. I disposed of all the trash and then vacuumed the seats, carpets and mats thoroughly. I talked Spouse into wiping down the dashboards, center consoles and other hard surfaces.
Then we walked to the canal and watched the 4th of July boat parade. It was cute - lots of different sizes and styles of boats, all decked out in red white and blue. Then we hopped on our bikes and rode a little ways to a church that appears to be in a building that was once something else. (It doesn't look like a church.) Our neighbor had told us his 1975 Caprice Classic convertible was going to be in a car show at the church so we went to see it, being the car lovers we are. It was a small show, probably only about 25-30 cars, but it was fun to see the cars, and biking to and fro was great as well. When we returned home we sat on the wrap-around porch facing the vacant, wooded lots across the street for quite a while, enjoying the heavenly breezes and hypothesizing about what the houses will look like that will one day occupy that land. (We learned that the land owner has finally gotten approval to build 3 houses that will face the street as well as his own private residence behind them, close to the border with the park.) Although I'd prefer the land remain unoccupied and wooded, Spouse said he's eager to see the houses built, which surprised me.
Then we showered and walked to Mike & Steve's house, located on Savannah Rd, the main drag leading into downtown. They had invited a lot of folks from the neighborhood for a cook-out and to watch the 'Doo-Dah' parade. Their backyard is lovely, filled with many varieties of plants and flowers; obviously many, MANY hours of work, but assumably they enjoy doing it. We got to meet LOTS of neighbors, which was really nice. The 'Doo-Dah' parade is not a Lewes sanctioned parade so the street isn't closed off. It was basically started a few years ago by a family who wanted to have a 4th of July parade, and lots of neighbors and friends quickly joined in. Anyone who wants can be in it and there's no application or advance notice required. So I've decided next year I am going to be in it! It was really cute; very informal and lasted about 10 minutes. All the folks from the cook-out spilled out onto the front porch, porch steps and yard to watch. Many other neighbors had similar cook-outs followed by parade viewings.
After walking home, feeding Jordan and taking her for a walk around the pond, we sat on the porch again and enjoyed the perfect weather. We'd pretty much decided we were NOT going to get caught up in all that chaos in Rehoboth just to see the fireworks, but sort of felt like we wanted to see some. Joe suggested we walk down to the bay at Lewes beach so I agreed. When we got there the parking lot was completely full (good thing we'd walked) and there were multiple people/groups setting off fireworks on the beach. Once again, this was not a Lewes sanctioned event but the police didn't try and stop it. It was great! We just sat on the beach and watched fireworks going off in several directions for nearly an hour. They had started before we got there, and were still going on when we left. It was great being so close, and of course the breeze and low humidity made the night just dreamy. We've decided this will be our new 4th of July fireworks watching tradition.
As we were walking home we saw one of the couples we'd met at the cook-out, George & Alan, feeding their cats on their front porch, so we stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes. They showed us their gorgeous and LARGE backyard (well, large by in-town Lewes standards) and they invited us to come and swim in their pool anytime. They also gave us some fresh catnip for Pouncer, which they grow. They are very nice and I can see us becoming good friends with them.
By the time we got home it was 10:30 so we changed into comfy clothes and went upstairs to watch TV. My legs felt like spaghetti from all the walking and bike riding. All the windows were open and we were continually caressed by lovely breezes. It was a magical day.
Today I called the BMW dealer and accepted the next available appointment for my car: next Thurs. Aagghh... yet another full week before I'll find out what is needed to fix my roof, likely followed by several more days of waiting for parts to be ordered and delivered.
Drag Queen name of the day: Doris Open
First off, the weather was fantastic. The forecast originally called for showers, but it never even sprinkled. In the early morning it was overcast and more humid than the day before. But as the day went on the humidity seemed to go away and we had several periods of sunshine. The temperature was mild and it was fairly breezy, which I love.
Spouse made biscuits for breakfast so we ate them with our coffee on the screened porch. It was delightful, and the dog and cat really like being on the porch with us. Then I decided to vacuum all 3 vehicles. Since we are hoping to trade 2 of them in, I figured it would be good to clean them up now so it would already be done when our buddy lets us know he's found a suitable car for us. I disposed of all the trash and then vacuumed the seats, carpets and mats thoroughly. I talked Spouse into wiping down the dashboards, center consoles and other hard surfaces.
Then we walked to the canal and watched the 4th of July boat parade. It was cute - lots of different sizes and styles of boats, all decked out in red white and blue. Then we hopped on our bikes and rode a little ways to a church that appears to be in a building that was once something else. (It doesn't look like a church.) Our neighbor had told us his 1975 Caprice Classic convertible was going to be in a car show at the church so we went to see it, being the car lovers we are. It was a small show, probably only about 25-30 cars, but it was fun to see the cars, and biking to and fro was great as well. When we returned home we sat on the wrap-around porch facing the vacant, wooded lots across the street for quite a while, enjoying the heavenly breezes and hypothesizing about what the houses will look like that will one day occupy that land. (We learned that the land owner has finally gotten approval to build 3 houses that will face the street as well as his own private residence behind them, close to the border with the park.) Although I'd prefer the land remain unoccupied and wooded, Spouse said he's eager to see the houses built, which surprised me.
Then we showered and walked to Mike & Steve's house, located on Savannah Rd, the main drag leading into downtown. They had invited a lot of folks from the neighborhood for a cook-out and to watch the 'Doo-Dah' parade. Their backyard is lovely, filled with many varieties of plants and flowers; obviously many, MANY hours of work, but assumably they enjoy doing it. We got to meet LOTS of neighbors, which was really nice. The 'Doo-Dah' parade is not a Lewes sanctioned parade so the street isn't closed off. It was basically started a few years ago by a family who wanted to have a 4th of July parade, and lots of neighbors and friends quickly joined in. Anyone who wants can be in it and there's no application or advance notice required. So I've decided next year I am going to be in it! It was really cute; very informal and lasted about 10 minutes. All the folks from the cook-out spilled out onto the front porch, porch steps and yard to watch. Many other neighbors had similar cook-outs followed by parade viewings.
After walking home, feeding Jordan and taking her for a walk around the pond, we sat on the porch again and enjoyed the perfect weather. We'd pretty much decided we were NOT going to get caught up in all that chaos in Rehoboth just to see the fireworks, but sort of felt like we wanted to see some. Joe suggested we walk down to the bay at Lewes beach so I agreed. When we got there the parking lot was completely full (good thing we'd walked) and there were multiple people/groups setting off fireworks on the beach. Once again, this was not a Lewes sanctioned event but the police didn't try and stop it. It was great! We just sat on the beach and watched fireworks going off in several directions for nearly an hour. They had started before we got there, and were still going on when we left. It was great being so close, and of course the breeze and low humidity made the night just dreamy. We've decided this will be our new 4th of July fireworks watching tradition.
As we were walking home we saw one of the couples we'd met at the cook-out, George & Alan, feeding their cats on their front porch, so we stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes. They showed us their gorgeous and LARGE backyard (well, large by in-town Lewes standards) and they invited us to come and swim in their pool anytime. They also gave us some fresh catnip for Pouncer, which they grow. They are very nice and I can see us becoming good friends with them.
By the time we got home it was 10:30 so we changed into comfy clothes and went upstairs to watch TV. My legs felt like spaghetti from all the walking and bike riding. All the windows were open and we were continually caressed by lovely breezes. It was a magical day.
Today I called the BMW dealer and accepted the next available appointment for my car: next Thurs. Aagghh... yet another full week before I'll find out what is needed to fix my roof, likely followed by several more days of waiting for parts to be ordered and delivered.
Drag Queen name of the day: Doris Open
Monday, July 02, 2007
The weekend and more car woes
Sat morning we strolled over to the Lewes farmers market. Joe was disappointed that the bagel stand wasn't there, but we got blueberries again to make another cobbler.
We decided to go shopping in Dover. We went to Big Lots but didn't buy anything. It seems that none of the Big Lots locations I've been to carries the same great stuff as the Front Royal, VA location. But since its always hit-or-miss, we continue to go and see what's there. Next we went to Value City Department Store and as we walked in the door we were handed scratch and save cards. We both found some clothing and sandals. My scratch and save card gave me 10% off my entire purchase, and Spouse's card gave him 15% of his. Back in Lewes we stopped in at the Kirkland store and picked up a metal wall hanging on clearance for only $9.99.
After lunch Spouse took a nap and I organized my closet. I pulled out some containers I'd shoved in there just prior to having company a few months ago, and then began designing the space for the most efficient use. I was able to remove the rest of my stuff from Spouse's closet so now all my clothes and shoes are together in my closet. I love organizing things. Since I love doing it you'd likely assume our entire house is organized, but not so. We're still getting settled in from having moved a few months ago, and I'm not going to spend beautiful days organizing indoors when I could be at the beach. But I will definitely get the rest of the closets organized within the next few months.
Sat night after dinner we went to Rick & Nick's to watch a movie. It was "Toys" starring Robin Williams, Joan Cusak, and LL Cool J. It was alright, not a recommendation. But since Rick & Nick have that giant movie theatre screen it makes even mediocre movies more fun.
Sun morning we met John & Marty for brunch at the Crystal restaurant in Rehoboth. It was great to see them again and have time to chat and get caught up. We'd seen them briefly at a car show a few weeks back. After brunch we went over to see their house. It is a single story with a prominent Frank Lloyd Wright theme inside and out. The house and their surrounding gardens were beautiful.
After brunch we met Rick & Nick at the beach. It was a picture-perfect day: sunny, very low humidity, and breezy. On days like that I feel like I could spend the entire day there. When we got home we made an apple and blueberry cobbler, took showers, ate dinner on the screened porch, and then Rick & Nick came over for dessert. We had cobbler with ice cream on the screened porch. What a lovely way to end the weekend!
Tues I drove my convertible to a shop in Dover to see about getting the top fixed. I'd had it in a local shop and they thought the console switch was bad, but when they replaced it they found that wasn't the problem. They recommended this guy in Dover. The guy in Dover played around with it and told me he could check a bunch of different things which would take a lot of time and may not be 100% accurate, so he suggested I make an appointment at the BMW dealer where they could connect a computer to the top and figure out exactly what the trouble is. So, yet again, I've had no success in getting my convertible top working. I'll have to call the BMW dealer on Thurs to see about an appointment.
Drag Queen name of the day: Candy Graham
We decided to go shopping in Dover. We went to Big Lots but didn't buy anything. It seems that none of the Big Lots locations I've been to carries the same great stuff as the Front Royal, VA location. But since its always hit-or-miss, we continue to go and see what's there. Next we went to Value City Department Store and as we walked in the door we were handed scratch and save cards. We both found some clothing and sandals. My scratch and save card gave me 10% off my entire purchase, and Spouse's card gave him 15% of his. Back in Lewes we stopped in at the Kirkland store and picked up a metal wall hanging on clearance for only $9.99.
After lunch Spouse took a nap and I organized my closet. I pulled out some containers I'd shoved in there just prior to having company a few months ago, and then began designing the space for the most efficient use. I was able to remove the rest of my stuff from Spouse's closet so now all my clothes and shoes are together in my closet. I love organizing things. Since I love doing it you'd likely assume our entire house is organized, but not so. We're still getting settled in from having moved a few months ago, and I'm not going to spend beautiful days organizing indoors when I could be at the beach. But I will definitely get the rest of the closets organized within the next few months.
Sat night after dinner we went to Rick & Nick's to watch a movie. It was "Toys" starring Robin Williams, Joan Cusak, and LL Cool J. It was alright, not a recommendation. But since Rick & Nick have that giant movie theatre screen it makes even mediocre movies more fun.
Sun morning we met John & Marty for brunch at the Crystal restaurant in Rehoboth. It was great to see them again and have time to chat and get caught up. We'd seen them briefly at a car show a few weeks back. After brunch we went over to see their house. It is a single story with a prominent Frank Lloyd Wright theme inside and out. The house and their surrounding gardens were beautiful.
After brunch we met Rick & Nick at the beach. It was a picture-perfect day: sunny, very low humidity, and breezy. On days like that I feel like I could spend the entire day there. When we got home we made an apple and blueberry cobbler, took showers, ate dinner on the screened porch, and then Rick & Nick came over for dessert. We had cobbler with ice cream on the screened porch. What a lovely way to end the weekend!
Tues I drove my convertible to a shop in Dover to see about getting the top fixed. I'd had it in a local shop and they thought the console switch was bad, but when they replaced it they found that wasn't the problem. They recommended this guy in Dover. The guy in Dover played around with it and told me he could check a bunch of different things which would take a lot of time and may not be 100% accurate, so he suggested I make an appointment at the BMW dealer where they could connect a computer to the top and figure out exactly what the trouble is. So, yet again, I've had no success in getting my convertible top working. I'll have to call the BMW dealer on Thurs to see about an appointment.
Drag Queen name of the day: Candy Graham
Friday, June 29, 2007
Short subjects
This week:
- It has been hazy, hot and humid. It definitely feels like summer.
- We watched "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and I am seriously outraged at the auto manufacturers. If you haven't see this yet, see it. The state of CA mandated that auto manufacturers who wanted to continue selling cars in CA had to provide a fully electric car, so General Motors, Honda, Toyota, and Ford all did so in 2001. They were very popular with consumers who leased them but they were the proverbial thorn in the side of the oil companies and auto manufacturers who used their significant political power and connections to get CA to revoke their mandate. The auto makers then took back all of the leased electric cars and destroyed them. Now everyone's all ga-ga about hybrids, which still use a gasoline engine and pollute the environment. We COULD have fully electric cars that do not pollute and that significantly reduce our need for imported oil.
- I had an enjoyable and productive trip to Richmond (company headquarters). I met all the new employees and attended some sales and product trainings. I got home Thurs night.
- While in Richmond I finished the book "Michael Tolliver Lives". Tues night after I had dinner there was nothing on TV so I got out the book and started reading. I couldn't help myself and wound up finishing the book that night.
- Fri evening we met Rick & Nick and friends for dinner. The previous Fri there were 6 of us, and this time there were 9 of us. Everyone was nice and we had a good time talking and getting to know the folks we just met.
Drag Queen name of the day: Rachel Slurs
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Out the door
I'm on my way out the door. I have to go to Richmond for a 2-day sales training and to meet some new company personnel. I don't mind going to Richmond like I used to, which is nice, since I have to go about once a quarter. Its a long drive though - about 4 1/2 hours each way. I'm leaving now and will be home Thursday night.
Drag Queen name of the day: Rita Book
Drag Queen name of the day: Rita Book
Monday, June 25, 2007
Great weekend
We had a GREAT weekend! It was partly due to the beautiful weather, but also due to several enjoyable things we did. Here's a synopsis:
- Fri evening we met Rick & Nick and new friends Kurt & Tracy for dinner at the Miltonian Pizzeria and Wing House. It was very tasty and we had a good time chatting. Afterward Spouse & I went for a lovely, after dinner walk around Lewes.
- Sat morning we walked to the Lewes farmers market. We bought some fresh peas, yellow and zucchini squash, blueberries, and bread. Spouse also got fresh bagels which we ate for breakfast. I pulled weeds from the flower beds while listening to my favorite 'best of' Manhattan Transfer CD while Spouse did some laundry. Then we met Rick & Nick at the beach for almost 3 hours. What an unbelievably beautiful day! I sauteed the squash as part of our dinner, and then we went to Rick & Nick's to watch 'War of the Worlds' on their enormous home theatre screen.
- Sun Spouse made biscuits for breakfast which we enjoyed on the screen porch. We cleaned the house, made cobbler from the farmers market blueberries, took Jordan for a walk around the pond, went grocery shopping, and then joined Paul & Steve and George & Steve at Crabby Dick's for dinner. It was 'Dining Out for Life' at the beach, so 1/3 of our tab went to AIDS charities. Then the 6 of us came back to our place for cobbler with real whipped cream and coffee.
It was a delightful weekend!
Drag Queen name of the day: Dixie Dumster
Friday, June 22, 2007
"Michael Tolliver Lives"
If the name of this blog hasn't clued you in, I am a huge fan of Armistead Maupin, the author of the "Tales of the City" series and several other novels.
Last year I purchased the only Maupin novel I didn't own, "The Night Listener" from Amazon.com. It was like $3. and it was in perfect condition, with the dust jacket, despite having been listed as 'used'.
I don't read a lot, but when I get interested in a book, especially one by Armistead Maupin, I have a hard time putting it down. I'll read for hours and hours, wanting to know what's going to happen next, sometimes even staying up well passed my bedtime. At the same time I'm eagerly devouring the book, I'm trying NOT to finish it. See, finishing the book means the story is over. So while I can't help myself from reading and reading, at the same time I don't want the book or the story to end. Such was the case with "The Night Listener".
A week or so ago I got an email from Amazon informing me that they had Armistead Maupin's newest book "Michael Tolliver Lives" for 33% under retail value, so I signed on and bought it. It arrived yesterday. I told myself I wanted it to last so I wouldn't begin reading it right away. I'd wait a few days to start it - maybe Sat I'd read some at the beach. So much for good intentions.
Spouse didn't feel like watching a DVD with me last night, so rather than watch it alone I decided to start the book.
All 6 of the "Tales of the City" series are written in the 3rd person and one assumes Armistead Maupin is the narrator. So, I had a little trouble adjusting to "Michael Tolliver Lives" which is written in the 1st person with Michael as the narrator. I kept picturing Armistead instead of Michael. Finally decided to read the book in a southern accent, since Michael had a southern accent in the movie verson of "Tales". It didn't take long for me to be transported to San Francisco, complete with 'visits' from other "Tales" characters like Brian Hawkins and Anna Madrigal.
In usual fashion, I read 111 of the 276 pages last night! And I said I wasn't going to do that. I was going to try and stretch it out. Oh well, what can I say? I'm a true fan.
Drag Queen name of the day: Ann Teak
Last year I purchased the only Maupin novel I didn't own, "The Night Listener" from Amazon.com. It was like $3. and it was in perfect condition, with the dust jacket, despite having been listed as 'used'.
I don't read a lot, but when I get interested in a book, especially one by Armistead Maupin, I have a hard time putting it down. I'll read for hours and hours, wanting to know what's going to happen next, sometimes even staying up well passed my bedtime. At the same time I'm eagerly devouring the book, I'm trying NOT to finish it. See, finishing the book means the story is over. So while I can't help myself from reading and reading, at the same time I don't want the book or the story to end. Such was the case with "The Night Listener".
A week or so ago I got an email from Amazon informing me that they had Armistead Maupin's newest book "Michael Tolliver Lives" for 33% under retail value, so I signed on and bought it. It arrived yesterday. I told myself I wanted it to last so I wouldn't begin reading it right away. I'd wait a few days to start it - maybe Sat I'd read some at the beach. So much for good intentions.
Spouse didn't feel like watching a DVD with me last night, so rather than watch it alone I decided to start the book.
All 6 of the "Tales of the City" series are written in the 3rd person and one assumes Armistead Maupin is the narrator. So, I had a little trouble adjusting to "Michael Tolliver Lives" which is written in the 1st person with Michael as the narrator. I kept picturing Armistead instead of Michael. Finally decided to read the book in a southern accent, since Michael had a southern accent in the movie verson of "Tales". It didn't take long for me to be transported to San Francisco, complete with 'visits' from other "Tales" characters like Brian Hawkins and Anna Madrigal.
In usual fashion, I read 111 of the 276 pages last night! And I said I wasn't going to do that. I was going to try and stretch it out. Oh well, what can I say? I'm a true fan.
Drag Queen name of the day: Ann Teak
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
More 'Music in the Park'
Last evening we decided to attend 'Music in the Park' again. We'd really enjoyed it when we went before. Rather than walking as we did last time, we decided to sling our 'Whatachairs' over our shoulders and ride our bikes to the park where the free concerts are held.
We parked our bikes, set up our chairs and began listening to the band called Cole Younger. The lead singer explained the band's name came from a guy named Cole Younger who was an associate and fellow bank robber with Jesse James. 'Nice inspiration for a band name' I thought to myself. Many of the band's original songs included themes of Cole Younger's assumed activities and thoughts. Unfortunately we didn't find them to be particularly interesting, nor did we find the lead singer's voice to be very good. It kind of reminded me of the way some straight guys will develop a fascination/fixation over some historical character, in this case an old-west bad guy.
Here's my thought about performing original songs: If you write good original songs then you probably have a career writing songs for Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, or Keith Gill. If you don't have such a career then your original songs probably aren't that good, and you will bore people when you perform too many of them in one sitting. Local bands should stick to doing covers of songs people know and like, with the occasional original song thrown into the set to stroke the band's ego. Nobody wants to go to a concert and listen to all original songs they don't know and can't hum along with. Its just a fact of life, like it or not.
So after about an hour of songs we'd never heard before, inspired by a bank robber, we packed up our chairs and rode back home. We ate some watermelon and watched a DVD from Netflix.
Drag Queen name of the day: Polly Urethane
We parked our bikes, set up our chairs and began listening to the band called Cole Younger. The lead singer explained the band's name came from a guy named Cole Younger who was an associate and fellow bank robber with Jesse James. 'Nice inspiration for a band name' I thought to myself. Many of the band's original songs included themes of Cole Younger's assumed activities and thoughts. Unfortunately we didn't find them to be particularly interesting, nor did we find the lead singer's voice to be very good. It kind of reminded me of the way some straight guys will develop a fascination/fixation over some historical character, in this case an old-west bad guy.
Here's my thought about performing original songs: If you write good original songs then you probably have a career writing songs for Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, or Keith Gill. If you don't have such a career then your original songs probably aren't that good, and you will bore people when you perform too many of them in one sitting. Local bands should stick to doing covers of songs people know and like, with the occasional original song thrown into the set to stroke the band's ego. Nobody wants to go to a concert and listen to all original songs they don't know and can't hum along with. Its just a fact of life, like it or not.
So after about an hour of songs we'd never heard before, inspired by a bank robber, we packed up our chairs and rode back home. We ate some watermelon and watched a DVD from Netflix.
Drag Queen name of the day: Polly Urethane
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Bikes
A few weeks after we moved to DE we returned to DC for a visit. Spouse's mother and sister both asked us what we'd like for a housewarming gift.
Spouse & I quickly came to the same conclusion that we really didn't need/want anything for our new house. After consolidating everything from the VA house and the beach house into our new house, we wound up donating a sofa, dinette table and chairs, an arm chair, 2 coffee tables, a side table, and miscellaneous duplicate kitchen items because we didn't have room for them. Not wanting to turn down the thoughtful and generous offer, we decided what we really wanted were bikes, so we told Ev and Mary to give us Wal-Mart gift cards.
When we were back in DC this past weekend they gave us the gift cards, so Mon evening we reviewed the selection and picked out 2 matching bikes. I'll post a photo later. They're street bikes, not mountain bikes, and are bright green (the only color this model came in) which made me think of the comic book character The Green Hornet. (I don't know why; I never read comic books.) So as we were giving them a spin around the neighborhood Mon evening I told Spouse that when we're riding our bikes I will refer to us as The Green Hornets.
It was pretty warm on Mon during the day, but a dreamy cool breeze was blowing Mon evening which made for delightful biking weather. We rode around town and up and down several streets of the neighborhood for about 20 minutes. I'd never ridden a bike with speeds so I had to ask Spouse if it mattered whether I was pedaling or not pedaling when changing gears. It was quite fun.
We have this fantasy that after we've built up our stamina, we'll strap our beach chairs to our backs and bike the 2 1/2 miles to the entrance of the state park, and then a little further to the beach. Not sure if that will ever happen, but its good to have a goal.
In the meantime, we'll simply enjoy nice, leisurely summer evening bike rides around town... livin' our dream.
Drag Queen name of the day: Grace Period
Spouse & I quickly came to the same conclusion that we really didn't need/want anything for our new house. After consolidating everything from the VA house and the beach house into our new house, we wound up donating a sofa, dinette table and chairs, an arm chair, 2 coffee tables, a side table, and miscellaneous duplicate kitchen items because we didn't have room for them. Not wanting to turn down the thoughtful and generous offer, we decided what we really wanted were bikes, so we told Ev and Mary to give us Wal-Mart gift cards.
When we were back in DC this past weekend they gave us the gift cards, so Mon evening we reviewed the selection and picked out 2 matching bikes. I'll post a photo later. They're street bikes, not mountain bikes, and are bright green (the only color this model came in) which made me think of the comic book character The Green Hornet. (I don't know why; I never read comic books.) So as we were giving them a spin around the neighborhood Mon evening I told Spouse that when we're riding our bikes I will refer to us as The Green Hornets.
It was pretty warm on Mon during the day, but a dreamy cool breeze was blowing Mon evening which made for delightful biking weather. We rode around town and up and down several streets of the neighborhood for about 20 minutes. I'd never ridden a bike with speeds so I had to ask Spouse if it mattered whether I was pedaling or not pedaling when changing gears. It was quite fun.
We have this fantasy that after we've built up our stamina, we'll strap our beach chairs to our backs and bike the 2 1/2 miles to the entrance of the state park, and then a little further to the beach. Not sure if that will ever happen, but its good to have a goal.
In the meantime, we'll simply enjoy nice, leisurely summer evening bike rides around town... livin' our dream.
Drag Queen name of the day: Grace Period
Friday, June 15, 2007
Snippets
Here are some snippets from this passed week:
- Last Sat was the 1st Sat of the Lewes farmers market. We walked there and Jamie bought some delicious goat cheese and Joe bought some bagels.
- The Newlyweds came last weekend and we went to a great (free) car show in Dewey, where we ran into our friends Marty & John, who were there with their robin's egg blue Edsel. Then we drove out to Laurel, DE to a small airport so Michael & Jamie could go skydiving! They had a great time doing it. Joe & I took pictures.
- Sun was the series finale of 'The Sopranos'. I found it to be anti-climatic. Not that I wanted to see all the characters get killed off like in the series finale of 'Oz', but I expected SOMETHING to happen. The final episode just seemed like filler. Its such a well-written show that I expected a much more clever finale.
- Mon Jordan overturned the kitchen trashcan and licked the left-over bacon grease out of the container I'd thrown away the day before. As if I wasn't pissed off enough for having to pick up the trash and clean the kitchen floor, a few hours later she threw up right next to my desk! It seems that bacon grease - however tasty - was a tad too rich for her digestive system. I was quite tempted to throw her out the 2nd floor window, but instead I cleaned up the 2nd mess for which she was responsible that day, and reminded myself that at least I have my health.
- Tues we had our realtor Lee Ann over for dinner. We talked and laughed about Italian families, food, and real estate. I told her about my plans for my 2nd career (some time in the future) of buying and renovating homes with potential to make them more desirable and improve the neighborhood.
- I just can't tell you how SICK I am of all the Paris Hilton coverage. I immediately turn the channel each time I see her face. Who cares what happens to her? She's a spoiled rich kid whose only 'celebrity' is being a spoiled rich kid. To the Media: This is NOT news and we don't care!
- We're leaving Fri evening for our monthly trip back to DC. I'm meeting a couple friends at Freddie's for karaoke tonight. Sat we are driving to Hugh & Kerry's huge, annual kickball game and cook-out. Looks like the weather is going to be pleasant for it. Sun we're meeting Bugs & Roger and the Newlyweds for brunch.
- We are considering trading in our Suburban AND Civic on a single vehicle that is somewhere between those 2 in size and better suited to our life now. We really don't have a need for the Suburban anymore. We're not bringing friends and family with us to the beach anymore so the Suburban hardly gets driven now. Filling its massive 42-gallon gas tank is no fun these day, plus I have never really liked driving the Suburban for anything other than a road trip. It was great for what we originally bought it for: road trips, but it doesn't fit our life now. Joe's Civic will need a new clutch and some other engine work done soon, which will cost more than the value of the car. If we liked the car we'd pay for the work, since its cheaper to fix a car that's paid for. But neither of us really likes the car very much because of its manual windows/door locks, and no sunroof. And despite its 4 doors, its really not comfortable for 4 adults, making it impractical for us. It was a great car for what we originally bought it for: Joe's daily commute to work, but it doesn't work well for us now. Joe talked to his friend who owns a used car place in Rehoboth and he said he would take both of our vehicles in trade (plus some cash) on a used car from his lot. So we've got him on the look-out for something to fit the very modest budget we've allotted, and I'm hopeful that he'll find us something that better fits our life now.
Drag Queen name of the day: Carrie Okey
Thursday, June 14, 2007
More car woes
Taking one's car to the garage for diagnosis and repair is just too much fun. Monday's visit with my car just wasn't enough. I had to have more.
As I was taking Jordan for her post-breakfast walk Tues morning I heard a horn blow so I turned around and saw Joe turning onto our street in the Suburban. After Jordan had 'done her business' and we returned to the house Joe said the battery in his Civic appeared to be dead. He was driving the Suburban around with a battery charger plugged into the cigarette lighter so he could then plug the charged-up battery charger into the Civic's cigarette lighter, in hopes of starting the car. (Do any of those gadgets really work?) Instead, I got the jumper cables out of the Civic's trunk, hooked them up to the Suburban and Civic and jump started his car. He looked at me ask if I'd just cracked some secret code.
I suggested he let it run for a while so the alternator could charge the battery back up. (He thinks, but is not sure, he may have left the dome light on the night before.) About 15 minutes later he decided to drive the car to Wal-Mart, since the car issue had prompted him to take the day off and use some comp time. I finally sat down at my desk and started working.
A few minutes later he called from the Wal-Mart packing lot to say that car wouldn't start again. Of course I rolled my eyes and thought him stupid for turning the engine off so soon, since the battery was surely not recharged yet. But rather than say anything like that, I stopped working, drove the Suburban over to the Wal-Mart parking lot to jump start the Civic again.
Despite doing the exact same thing I had done at home, it wouldn't start again. I even revved the Suburban's engine while he tried to start the Civic. Then I tried to remember if we had ever replaced the battery in this car, and I could not remember ever having done so. That means the battery was almost 10 years old!
We both got into the Suburban and drove up Rt 1 to Midway Tire & Auto, explained the situation with the Civic to the guy behind the counter, and left them a key. We returned home and I sat back down and resumed working.
About 3 hours later they called and said the battery was completely dead (unrevivable) so they had replaced it. It was ready for us to pick up. So AGAIN I stopped working and drove Joe over to pay for and pick up his car. It cost about $80. for the battery and $50. for the labor of getting the car from the Wal-Mart parking lot to the garage and replacing the battery. Not too bad, considering it was all done within about 3 hours.
The next day when I took Jordan out for her morning walk I saw Joe's Civic in the driveway again. When I sat down to work I got an email from him saying that the car kept stalling out on him, so he brought it back home and drove the Suburban to work. I called Midway and explained the symptoms. The guy said that sometimes the car's computer needs to reset itself after a battery has been replaced. I'd never heard of this before and was rather skeptical. He suggested keeping a foot on the gas pedal and revving the engine for awhile. When Joe got home we started it up and it ran like normal - no stalling at all. I drove it around the block and stopped several times, with no issue. This time it was me who felt like I'd just cracked the secret code.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Bull
As I was taking Jordan for her post-breakfast walk Tues morning I heard a horn blow so I turned around and saw Joe turning onto our street in the Suburban. After Jordan had 'done her business' and we returned to the house Joe said the battery in his Civic appeared to be dead. He was driving the Suburban around with a battery charger plugged into the cigarette lighter so he could then plug the charged-up battery charger into the Civic's cigarette lighter, in hopes of starting the car. (Do any of those gadgets really work?) Instead, I got the jumper cables out of the Civic's trunk, hooked them up to the Suburban and Civic and jump started his car. He looked at me ask if I'd just cracked some secret code.
I suggested he let it run for a while so the alternator could charge the battery back up. (He thinks, but is not sure, he may have left the dome light on the night before.) About 15 minutes later he decided to drive the car to Wal-Mart, since the car issue had prompted him to take the day off and use some comp time. I finally sat down at my desk and started working.
A few minutes later he called from the Wal-Mart packing lot to say that car wouldn't start again. Of course I rolled my eyes and thought him stupid for turning the engine off so soon, since the battery was surely not recharged yet. But rather than say anything like that, I stopped working, drove the Suburban over to the Wal-Mart parking lot to jump start the Civic again.
Despite doing the exact same thing I had done at home, it wouldn't start again. I even revved the Suburban's engine while he tried to start the Civic. Then I tried to remember if we had ever replaced the battery in this car, and I could not remember ever having done so. That means the battery was almost 10 years old!
We both got into the Suburban and drove up Rt 1 to Midway Tire & Auto, explained the situation with the Civic to the guy behind the counter, and left them a key. We returned home and I sat back down and resumed working.
About 3 hours later they called and said the battery was completely dead (unrevivable) so they had replaced it. It was ready for us to pick up. So AGAIN I stopped working and drove Joe over to pay for and pick up his car. It cost about $80. for the battery and $50. for the labor of getting the car from the Wal-Mart parking lot to the garage and replacing the battery. Not too bad, considering it was all done within about 3 hours.
The next day when I took Jordan out for her morning walk I saw Joe's Civic in the driveway again. When I sat down to work I got an email from him saying that the car kept stalling out on him, so he brought it back home and drove the Suburban to work. I called Midway and explained the symptoms. The guy said that sometimes the car's computer needs to reset itself after a battery has been replaced. I'd never heard of this before and was rather skeptical. He suggested keeping a foot on the gas pedal and revving the engine for awhile. When Joe got home we started it up and it ran like normal - no stalling at all. I drove it around the block and stopped several times, with no issue. This time it was me who felt like I'd just cracked the secret code.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Bull
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Anniversary
This week is the 40th anniversary of Loving vs. Virginia, the historic Supreme Court case from 1967 that removed prohibitions against interracial marriages. Yes, believe it or not, just 40 years ago it was ILLEGAL for people of different races to marry. Its hard for me to believe that 2 people in love were prevented from being married, simply because they were of different races.
It is my great hope that years from now we will celebrate a similar anniversary: the anniversary of gay marriage. Really, isn't it about the same thing? People in love who want to marry? 40 years ago it was 2 people in love but from different races. Today its 2 people in love who are the same sex. People are people, and they should ALL be able to marry and enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as any other couple.
To learn more about Loving vs. Virginia and marriage equality, stop by the Freedom to Marry website at http://tinyurl.com/yomc8f.
Drag Queen name of the day: Mary Meehon
It is my great hope that years from now we will celebrate a similar anniversary: the anniversary of gay marriage. Really, isn't it about the same thing? People in love who want to marry? 40 years ago it was 2 people in love but from different races. Today its 2 people in love who are the same sex. People are people, and they should ALL be able to marry and enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as any other couple.
To learn more about Loving vs. Virginia and marriage equality, stop by the Freedom to Marry website at http://tinyurl.com/yomc8f.
Drag Queen name of the day: Mary Meehon
Monday, June 11, 2007
Car woes
Two Wednesdays ago I took my BMW convertible to a new shop to have the passenger door fixed, and to find out why the ABS (anti-lock brakes) light comes on intermittently. I was very happy with the friendly folks at the shop and VERY friendly price for the door repair: $25.
However, they weren't able to determine at that time what was causing the ABS light to come on. The computer produced 4 different error codes that related to different things. The mechanic thought it was unlikely that all 4 things needed fixing, but rather, the actual cause of the problem was also triggering other alerts to produce error codes. Rather than trying to fix all of the different things the machanic suggested he reset the computer to erase the error codes. If/when the ABS light comes on again, I should bring it in and the origin of the problem should be found. I drove the car for a week and the ABS light didn't come back on.
Then last Wednesday evening the roof stopped moving when I was opening it. I was pretty sure the roof switch on the console had gone bad. For awhile now I'd had to really push the switch down hard to get the roof to operate. I was hoping to get the door and ABS issues resolved before tackling the roof switch, but no such luck. I tried it several times but the roof didn't move; it was stuck partially open. Thurs morning I called to make an appointment at the garage. They told me Wed of the following week was their 1st available appointment. I told them I'd looked at the weather forecast and saw the possibility of rain on Fri night and Sat morning, and asked them to squeeze me in on Fri, but they said they were unable to. Mon morning (today) was the earliest they could give me. I tried the roof switch again but it didn't respond. So on Fri I made arrangements with my neighbor to park my car with its partially opened roof in their garage Fri evening. As I was about to move the car to the neighbor's garage, I decided to try the roof switch 1 more time - and it worked! I was able to fully close the roof. Fri night it rained.
This morning as I was driving the car to the shop, the ABS light came on again. 'Good timing' I thought to myself. When I arrived I filled them in on the roof switch theory and let them know the ABS light was on, which should give them the necessary error code to diagnose the cause.
While typing the paragraphs above, the garage called. My roof switch theory was correct. It will cost about $200. for the parts and labor to fix it. Unfortunately it will take 3 days to get the switch and the garage is booked until next Tues, so I'm going to pick up the car this evening and bring it back on Tues for them to install the new roof switch.
I asked about the ABS light and they reported that the computer showed no code. They suggested that since it lit up only a mile or 2 from the garage, it may not have had time to register an error code. When the ignition is turned off, the light goes out. When they moved the car, the light didn't come back on. Aaarrrggg...
Murhpy's Law dictates that because I will not be able to open the roof for the next week, we'll have absolutely stunningly beautiful weather.
Drag Queen name of the day: Marion Settledown
However, they weren't able to determine at that time what was causing the ABS light to come on. The computer produced 4 different error codes that related to different things. The mechanic thought it was unlikely that all 4 things needed fixing, but rather, the actual cause of the problem was also triggering other alerts to produce error codes. Rather than trying to fix all of the different things the machanic suggested he reset the computer to erase the error codes. If/when the ABS light comes on again, I should bring it in and the origin of the problem should be found. I drove the car for a week and the ABS light didn't come back on.
Then last Wednesday evening the roof stopped moving when I was opening it. I was pretty sure the roof switch on the console had gone bad. For awhile now I'd had to really push the switch down hard to get the roof to operate. I was hoping to get the door and ABS issues resolved before tackling the roof switch, but no such luck. I tried it several times but the roof didn't move; it was stuck partially open. Thurs morning I called to make an appointment at the garage. They told me Wed of the following week was their 1st available appointment. I told them I'd looked at the weather forecast and saw the possibility of rain on Fri night and Sat morning, and asked them to squeeze me in on Fri, but they said they were unable to. Mon morning (today) was the earliest they could give me. I tried the roof switch again but it didn't respond. So on Fri I made arrangements with my neighbor to park my car with its partially opened roof in their garage Fri evening. As I was about to move the car to the neighbor's garage, I decided to try the roof switch 1 more time - and it worked! I was able to fully close the roof. Fri night it rained.
This morning as I was driving the car to the shop, the ABS light came on again. 'Good timing' I thought to myself. When I arrived I filled them in on the roof switch theory and let them know the ABS light was on, which should give them the necessary error code to diagnose the cause.
While typing the paragraphs above, the garage called. My roof switch theory was correct. It will cost about $200. for the parts and labor to fix it. Unfortunately it will take 3 days to get the switch and the garage is booked until next Tues, so I'm going to pick up the car this evening and bring it back on Tues for them to install the new roof switch.
I asked about the ABS light and they reported that the computer showed no code. They suggested that since it lit up only a mile or 2 from the garage, it may not have had time to register an error code. When the ignition is turned off, the light goes out. When they moved the car, the light didn't come back on. Aaarrrggg...
Murhpy's Law dictates that because I will not be able to open the roof for the next week, we'll have absolutely stunningly beautiful weather.
Drag Queen name of the day: Marion Settledown
Friday, June 08, 2007
New view
Well, the view from our kitchen, dining room and living room windows has changed dramatically in the last few minutes.
I heard the loud roaring sound of some kind of machinery so I looked to see what was going on. A guy on a John Deere tractor with a bush-hog type of attachment was starting to mow down all the 6-foot high weeds and saplings in the two lots adjacent to our house. I watched him for a few minutes, wondering what 'plans' may be in store that property.
The two vacant lots are owned by one of our neighbors on the street behind us. The 2 small lots are what separate their yard from ours. Our realtor told us they purchased the lots to prevent someone from building on them, but then they turned around and put 1 of the lots (the one that borders our property) up for sale. We momentarily entertained ideas of what we would do with the lot if we were to purchase it. It didn't take long for me to begin designing the structures in my mind. But the price they're asking for the lot is completely outrageous in everyone's opinion so we're no longer entertaining those ideas.
When I saw the tractor driver remove his sunglasses and wipe the sweat from his forehead and out of his eyes I decided to take him a glass of cold water. It was really hot AND humid today. He turned off the tractor and thanked me for the water, then asked if I was aware what was going on here.
I told him no so he told me the folks who own both lots contracted him to "clean up" the area. His first task was to mow down the weeds and saplings today. Next week he's coming back to apply Round Up to both lots (which seems to me to be the equivilent of pouring a thimble of water on a raging forest fire), then he's going to plant grass on the lot farthest from our house, which has no trees. Then he's going to bring in a TON of mulch to cover the lot with the trees, which boarders our lot. "Its going to look kind of like a park when its done" he said.
The funny thing is that I kind of liked the way it looked with all the growth! I know it was mostly weeds, but believe it or not, the growth really provided a visual buffer and had a very 'natural' look so I didn't mind it at all. I guess the new "park" will look nice too, but it will open up the view at the same time.
Drag Queen name of the day: Ann Articka
I heard the loud roaring sound of some kind of machinery so I looked to see what was going on. A guy on a John Deere tractor with a bush-hog type of attachment was starting to mow down all the 6-foot high weeds and saplings in the two lots adjacent to our house. I watched him for a few minutes, wondering what 'plans' may be in store that property.
The two vacant lots are owned by one of our neighbors on the street behind us. The 2 small lots are what separate their yard from ours. Our realtor told us they purchased the lots to prevent someone from building on them, but then they turned around and put 1 of the lots (the one that borders our property) up for sale. We momentarily entertained ideas of what we would do with the lot if we were to purchase it. It didn't take long for me to begin designing the structures in my mind. But the price they're asking for the lot is completely outrageous in everyone's opinion so we're no longer entertaining those ideas.
When I saw the tractor driver remove his sunglasses and wipe the sweat from his forehead and out of his eyes I decided to take him a glass of cold water. It was really hot AND humid today. He turned off the tractor and thanked me for the water, then asked if I was aware what was going on here.
I told him no so he told me the folks who own both lots contracted him to "clean up" the area. His first task was to mow down the weeds and saplings today. Next week he's coming back to apply Round Up to both lots (which seems to me to be the equivilent of pouring a thimble of water on a raging forest fire), then he's going to plant grass on the lot farthest from our house, which has no trees. Then he's going to bring in a TON of mulch to cover the lot with the trees, which boarders our lot. "Its going to look kind of like a park when its done" he said.
The funny thing is that I kind of liked the way it looked with all the growth! I know it was mostly weeds, but believe it or not, the growth really provided a visual buffer and had a very 'natural' look so I didn't mind it at all. I guess the new "park" will look nice too, but it will open up the view at the same time.
Drag Queen name of the day: Ann Articka
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Music in the park
Mon evening we attended "Music in the Park", a program from the Lewes dept of Parks & Recreation. Every Mon and every other Fri between Memorial Day and Labor Day there are free concerts in the park adjacent to the library. That's a lot of free music!
The location is ideal. There are lots of big, old trees to provide shade, and if you feel the need to use the bathroom, you can go into the library and do so. Its just a few blocks from our house so we walked on over, with our 'what-a-chairs' slung over our shoulders. It was a beautiful evening; cool temperature and no humidity - perfect for an outdoor summer concert. If only our past trips to Wolf Trap had been so nice! And like Wolf Trap, we saw some people with picnic dinners.
As we were waiting for the concert to start a man with a beagle came near us. Joe petted the dog as we complimented it for being a "cutie". The man said "Do you realize you're the youngest people here? You're the only ones under 75!" Initially we just laughed. Then I looked around and noticed he was partially correct: we WERE the youngest people there. We've seen other people around our age in town, but none of them were at the concert.
Mon night's performance was by Tydewater, and was billed as 'Country & Pop', but all the songs they did were completely country. I'm not a fan of country music (the cliches are just too much for me) but I must give this group credit. Each one was a very talented performer so the group was very 'tight' and professional. The singer also had a very nice voice. So despite my disaffection for country music, I did enjoy the "music in the park".
I'm looking forward to some of the choral, jazz, and big band groups on the itinerary.
Drag Queen name of the day: Mae Day
The location is ideal. There are lots of big, old trees to provide shade, and if you feel the need to use the bathroom, you can go into the library and do so. Its just a few blocks from our house so we walked on over, with our 'what-a-chairs' slung over our shoulders. It was a beautiful evening; cool temperature and no humidity - perfect for an outdoor summer concert. If only our past trips to Wolf Trap had been so nice! And like Wolf Trap, we saw some people with picnic dinners.
As we were waiting for the concert to start a man with a beagle came near us. Joe petted the dog as we complimented it for being a "cutie". The man said "Do you realize you're the youngest people here? You're the only ones under 75!" Initially we just laughed. Then I looked around and noticed he was partially correct: we WERE the youngest people there. We've seen other people around our age in town, but none of them were at the concert.
Mon night's performance was by Tydewater, and was billed as 'Country & Pop', but all the songs they did were completely country. I'm not a fan of country music (the cliches are just too much for me) but I must give this group credit. Each one was a very talented performer so the group was very 'tight' and professional. The singer also had a very nice voice. So despite my disaffection for country music, I did enjoy the "music in the park".
I'm looking forward to some of the choral, jazz, and big band groups on the itinerary.
Drag Queen name of the day: Mae Day
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Finally... rain
Well, Sun it finally rained. I don't know how many days it had been since our last rainfall, but its been quite a while. Usually I am not the type who waters the lawn, but after seeing it change from 'spring green' to 'hay stack tan' and hearing it crunch under my feet, I gave in. I set up a sprinkler for at lest an hour, and sometimes up to 3 hours, on Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs of last week. Fri we were out of town so I didn't water.
Then Sun morning we awoke to cloudy skies and the smell of rain in the air. You know how you can smell the rain before it arrives? Then finally, it began to rain; lightly at first, then heavier in the afternoon. It was a nice, long rain that lasted about 10-12 hours, I'd guess. Spouse & I needed to go grocery shopping, and usually I'd cancel the dreaded deed due to rain, but Sun we went out in it anyway; happy for the nourishment it brought.
I had hoped to go to the beach on Sun, but when we awoke in the clouds my disappointment soon turned into gratitude. We really needed the rain.
Drag Queen name of the day: Holly Berry
Then Sun morning we awoke to cloudy skies and the smell of rain in the air. You know how you can smell the rain before it arrives? Then finally, it began to rain; lightly at first, then heavier in the afternoon. It was a nice, long rain that lasted about 10-12 hours, I'd guess. Spouse & I needed to go grocery shopping, and usually I'd cancel the dreaded deed due to rain, but Sun we went out in it anyway; happy for the nourishment it brought.
I had hoped to go to the beach on Sun, but when we awoke in the clouds my disappointment soon turned into gratitude. We really needed the rain.
Drag Queen name of the day: Holly Berry
Monday, June 04, 2007
Family obligations
Fri morning Spouse & I got up and cleaned the house in preparation for his family's visit. I usually do most of the organizing/putting away of things and then I vacuum the entire house. Spouse usually cleans the bathrooms (because I HATE doing that) and tidies up the kitchen. He's always finished before me, if you see what I'm sayin'...
We showered, dressed, and had a little time to sit and relax before they arrived at 11:45. Since this was their first visit, we gave them 'the tour' and then had lunch. I'd gotten nice Italian bread, turkey breast, honey ham, and 2 kinds of cheese for everyone to make a sandwich. I also made a cold pasta salad to go along with. We had a nice lunch, and then everyone went to their respective rooms to change clothes.
Dressed in our 'Sunday go to meetin' clothes', Spouse, his mother, sister, brother, and sister-in-law and I got comfortable in the Suburban and headed north just passed Philadelphia. We got stuck in some late afternoon traffic around Philly, but eventually arrived at our exit near Levittown, PA.
Spouse's aunt and uncle were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a Mass at 5:00, followed by a reception at a country club at 7:00. I'd been looking forward to going for several months because I really like this aunt and uncle, because 50 years is quite a milestone, and because it is a real 'family' thing to participate in. The only part of the event I was not looking forward to was sitting through a Catholic Mass.
Because of my being brought up in the Jehovah's Witness religion, and subsequently kicked out when I 'came out', my feelings are rather sensitive when it comes to religions. Also, the hypocrisy and abuse by many current religious leaders has further irritated my condition. Although this country was colonized by people searching for religious freedom, nowadays it seems you can't be American unless you are religious. The religious conservatives and fundamentalists have hijacked 'America'. And the Catholics' view of homosexuality does nothing to endear me, either. I was afraid I might get mad at what I would have to listen to, just to support the 'golden' couple.
The priest included the expected comparison of God's creation of Eve as a companion to Adam to modern day marriage, citing both as 'blessings'. Yada yada yada. Stand up; sit down; stand up; sit down. Then he started in on the "marriage is the union between a man and a woman" bit and I began to fidget as I could feel my temperature rising. But then I stopped and thought to myself: 'I'm here for aunt Antoinette and uncle Domenic. I'm not here for religious education. This Mass is part of how they chose to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Its all about them; its not supposed to be about me.' So I took a deep breath, stopped fidgeting, and allowed myself to relax. Its pretty amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.
After the Mass everyone went outside and talked at the entrance to the church. There were several cousins of Spouse who live in the Philadelphia area that he hadn't seen in years. It was nice to see and talk with aunt Antoinette and uncle Domenic, both of whom seemed to have permanent smiles on their faces, and their two sons.
Then we all headed over to the country club place where the reception was. We got there before 7:00 so we had to stay out in the large foyer where there were lots of sofas and upholstered chairs. It looked like the furniture had been purchased in the late 1980s, not because it was tattered, but because of the colors and patterns. Its funny how colors and patterns can give away the age of furniture even when its in good condition. Finally the staff opened the doors to the Grand Ballroom and we filed in.
Everyone seemed to be huddled around a table, waiting to sign the guest book I presumed. Then I realized they were looking at the name cards, trying to find theirs so they'd know which table to sit at. As soon as everyone was inside, the DJ started playing music and the parade of stainless steel platters began as the staff brought appetizers to the buffet tables. There was an open bar too. It seemed like every person who walked past our table with a plate of appetizers had different things on them, things that were not on the table when I was there. Spouse & I decided to visit the appetizers again and got completely different food the 2nd time. Then a horrible thought struck me: What if this IS the buffet? What if its just appetizers? I quietly whispered this frightening suggestion to Spouse and his sister Mary, who were equally as alarmed as I. Fortunately a few minutes later Mary overheard one of the staff telling another staffer that dinner would start at 8:00. Whew! No need for future panic.
More people attended the reception than the Mass, likely because many people were not off work by 5:00 when the Mass started. So Spouse and his siblings were able to visit with even more relatives at the reception. Lots and lots of photos were taken. I'd planned to take a lot too, but was disappointed when the battery in our camera went dead after only 3 shots. And I'd just replaced the battery a month ago when I took all those flower photos in the neighborhood. What's that all about?
The dinner buffet was brought out and each table was called by a staffer to line up, one by one. Then the appetizer buffet was replaced by a dessert buffet, followed by the cutting of the wedding cake. Yep, they had a 3-tier wedding cake too! We ate until we were stuffed, then watched mostly senior citizens as they danced that graceful, coordinated way they do. I love to watch old people dance. They really look like they know what they're doing.
Finally at 10:30 we decided we should say our goodbyes and prepare to leave. We still had a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us. After exchanging lots of hugs, kisses, and email addresses, we hoisted our satiated selves into the Suburban and headed back to the highway. We got back to Lewes at 1:20 am, got everyone into bed by 1:45 am, and then Spouse & I collapsed into bed and talked quietly about the night for another 15 minutes or so.
Despite having gone to be so late, Spouse's mother got up at 7 am, and Spouse's brother got up at 7:30! Fortunately I didn't hear them. I felt Spouse rolling over so I looked at the clock at 8:11 am. He said he was getting up since his family was already up, so I got up too. I slid down the stairs to the kitchen and put on the coffee. We all gathered in the living room and recalled the nice time we'd had the night before. Brother and sister-in-law are coming back in Aug to spend 5 days with us. They will use our place as a base camp and take day trips to the beach, outlet shopping, take the ferry to Cape May, etc.
At 9:30 the 6 of us walked to the Blue Plate Diner for breakfast, then we took the long way home so that the family could see more of downtown. Then everyone packed up and left at 11:30. Spouse took a nap and I lounged on the couch and watched TV.
Drag Queen name of the day: Lisa Carr
We showered, dressed, and had a little time to sit and relax before they arrived at 11:45. Since this was their first visit, we gave them 'the tour' and then had lunch. I'd gotten nice Italian bread, turkey breast, honey ham, and 2 kinds of cheese for everyone to make a sandwich. I also made a cold pasta salad to go along with. We had a nice lunch, and then everyone went to their respective rooms to change clothes.
Dressed in our 'Sunday go to meetin' clothes', Spouse, his mother, sister, brother, and sister-in-law and I got comfortable in the Suburban and headed north just passed Philadelphia. We got stuck in some late afternoon traffic around Philly, but eventually arrived at our exit near Levittown, PA.
Spouse's aunt and uncle were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a Mass at 5:00, followed by a reception at a country club at 7:00. I'd been looking forward to going for several months because I really like this aunt and uncle, because 50 years is quite a milestone, and because it is a real 'family' thing to participate in. The only part of the event I was not looking forward to was sitting through a Catholic Mass.
Because of my being brought up in the Jehovah's Witness religion, and subsequently kicked out when I 'came out', my feelings are rather sensitive when it comes to religions. Also, the hypocrisy and abuse by many current religious leaders has further irritated my condition. Although this country was colonized by people searching for religious freedom, nowadays it seems you can't be American unless you are religious. The religious conservatives and fundamentalists have hijacked 'America'. And the Catholics' view of homosexuality does nothing to endear me, either. I was afraid I might get mad at what I would have to listen to, just to support the 'golden' couple.
The priest included the expected comparison of God's creation of Eve as a companion to Adam to modern day marriage, citing both as 'blessings'. Yada yada yada. Stand up; sit down; stand up; sit down. Then he started in on the "marriage is the union between a man and a woman" bit and I began to fidget as I could feel my temperature rising. But then I stopped and thought to myself: 'I'm here for aunt Antoinette and uncle Domenic. I'm not here for religious education. This Mass is part of how they chose to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Its all about them; its not supposed to be about me.' So I took a deep breath, stopped fidgeting, and allowed myself to relax. Its pretty amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.
After the Mass everyone went outside and talked at the entrance to the church. There were several cousins of Spouse who live in the Philadelphia area that he hadn't seen in years. It was nice to see and talk with aunt Antoinette and uncle Domenic, both of whom seemed to have permanent smiles on their faces, and their two sons.
Then we all headed over to the country club place where the reception was. We got there before 7:00 so we had to stay out in the large foyer where there were lots of sofas and upholstered chairs. It looked like the furniture had been purchased in the late 1980s, not because it was tattered, but because of the colors and patterns. Its funny how colors and patterns can give away the age of furniture even when its in good condition. Finally the staff opened the doors to the Grand Ballroom and we filed in.
Everyone seemed to be huddled around a table, waiting to sign the guest book I presumed. Then I realized they were looking at the name cards, trying to find theirs so they'd know which table to sit at. As soon as everyone was inside, the DJ started playing music and the parade of stainless steel platters began as the staff brought appetizers to the buffet tables. There was an open bar too. It seemed like every person who walked past our table with a plate of appetizers had different things on them, things that were not on the table when I was there. Spouse & I decided to visit the appetizers again and got completely different food the 2nd time. Then a horrible thought struck me: What if this IS the buffet? What if its just appetizers? I quietly whispered this frightening suggestion to Spouse and his sister Mary, who were equally as alarmed as I. Fortunately a few minutes later Mary overheard one of the staff telling another staffer that dinner would start at 8:00. Whew! No need for future panic.
More people attended the reception than the Mass, likely because many people were not off work by 5:00 when the Mass started. So Spouse and his siblings were able to visit with even more relatives at the reception. Lots and lots of photos were taken. I'd planned to take a lot too, but was disappointed when the battery in our camera went dead after only 3 shots. And I'd just replaced the battery a month ago when I took all those flower photos in the neighborhood. What's that all about?
The dinner buffet was brought out and each table was called by a staffer to line up, one by one. Then the appetizer buffet was replaced by a dessert buffet, followed by the cutting of the wedding cake. Yep, they had a 3-tier wedding cake too! We ate until we were stuffed, then watched mostly senior citizens as they danced that graceful, coordinated way they do. I love to watch old people dance. They really look like they know what they're doing.
Finally at 10:30 we decided we should say our goodbyes and prepare to leave. We still had a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us. After exchanging lots of hugs, kisses, and email addresses, we hoisted our satiated selves into the Suburban and headed back to the highway. We got back to Lewes at 1:20 am, got everyone into bed by 1:45 am, and then Spouse & I collapsed into bed and talked quietly about the night for another 15 minutes or so.
Despite having gone to be so late, Spouse's mother got up at 7 am, and Spouse's brother got up at 7:30! Fortunately I didn't hear them. I felt Spouse rolling over so I looked at the clock at 8:11 am. He said he was getting up since his family was already up, so I got up too. I slid down the stairs to the kitchen and put on the coffee. We all gathered in the living room and recalled the nice time we'd had the night before. Brother and sister-in-law are coming back in Aug to spend 5 days with us. They will use our place as a base camp and take day trips to the beach, outlet shopping, take the ferry to Cape May, etc.
At 9:30 the 6 of us walked to the Blue Plate Diner for breakfast, then we took the long way home so that the family could see more of downtown. Then everyone packed up and left at 11:30. Spouse took a nap and I lounged on the couch and watched TV.
Drag Queen name of the day: Lisa Carr
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)